Day 3:
Here I come Haryana:
With full of joy and excitement started cycling as I’m about to cross first state Delhi and enter Haryana & the border is just 45 km away .
Entered Haryana and just two days of biking has changed my idea of travel , it’s much more than just covering destinations here and there. Immediately after crossing the border the local vendors requested me to rest at their place and quench my thirst.
Before the journey my main plan is solely based on covering important destinations but after two days of journey I’ve realized how magical an emotional bond between two complete strangers knowing each other and sharing stories can be.
Sharing issues , knowing culture, way of life & understanding different languages is what travelling is all about . Ended up in a remote village as I choose Google over local , turns out I have taken wrong instead of taking a bypass through the highway.
My one suggestion for any traveler is don’t blindly go for Google Maps always back it up with locals’ suggestions and give preference to locals over Google.
Native Hookah:
Things don’t always work as planned so I don’t set any definite targets , having no or least expectations keeps on calm and consistent.
After cycling for almost 70km in the hot sun was craving for fruits to quench my thirst and hunger so at around 3:00 pm found a local vendor serving fruit cut.
Parked my cycle & started having the watermelon while watching him smoke this huge native crafted hookah unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
Inquired if there are any places to stay near by, he suggested a temple close by which welcomes traveler’s . Glad to know this cycled towards the temple wondering if they would allow this dark looking stranger in his weird apparel.
Wrestlers at rescue:
Reaching here opened the gates to find many kids wearing tights gaze at me with a blank face that’s a relief. There are three coaches who heartily welcomes me , got me a chair while asking what I’m up to.
This place belongs to the temple dedicated to sports -Wrestling , Volley ball and Gym. People from different states majorly from Haryana, Punjab and UP come here to start their career in wrestling.
Only then I’ve understood how seriously people take wrestling as career , coming from a metropolitan city like Hyderabad this totally new for me and unorthodox , how can someone do something this radical than be an Engineer , Lawyer or a Doctor.
Later the coach on the left in green t-shirt was guiding me & insisted that I should have a dairy to maintain a track of places I’ve covered and signed by the respective panchayats which should make my travel easy going forward and will also act as a proof that I’ve been there.
I know the coach meant good but the truth is the I want my journey to be uncomfortable , uncertain , unpredictable cause that’s where one could learn and grow into something different like an iron melted , heated & molded into something meaningful. Apart from that my journey is never a tryst to make or break a record its beyond that.
By now its past 6:00 PM while the students were going back to their accommodation the few coaches and other seniors sat in a circle centering traditional hookah which is supposed to be common in every Haryanvi’s house.
Hookah Bhaichara:
After an hour of hookah bhaichara had roti & sabji they served and walked towards the temple where I’m supposed to sleep.
The night dint go well as there was frequent truck drivers stops who have a loud conversations with the chai wala & locals which continued almost until 1:00 AM .
Woke up early in the morning to have the delicious chai offered , ironically which was also the reason for my half sleep the night before.
The best thing about this place is they offer tea to any person who happens to be there without expecting anything unlike in city where everything is turned in to a business. Its small village close to Bahadurgarh, Haryana.
After having a glassful of Mosambi juice offered by the locals they send me of with cheering smiles.
