Visiting the 'Cleanest City of India'

 As a student representative at DPS, I had the privilege to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 held at the Brilliant Convention Centre, Indore, Madhya Pradesh during the month of January. This initiative by the Government of India aimed to bring the Indian Diaspora together to strengthen the bond between the NRIs and their motherland, India. We got an opportunity to interact with the Cabinet ministers, including Dr. S.Jaishankar and Hon'ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan. We got to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister of India- Shri Narendra Modi and Hon'ble President of India- Smt. Droupadi Murmu. 

But aside that, here is my experience of the PBD 2023. Beside being away from UAE for almost a week, there were a plenty of obstacles, that we as young students had to overcome. It's a pretty long list, but read until the end, if you want to know how exhilirating the experience was!

I- Hectic Flight Schedule

You won't believe me if I tell you this. Boarded a flight somewhere on the outskirts (Believe me, it was more of a village set up towards RAK) around midnight, landed in Mumbai, Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport, 6 hours layover from 4 am to 10 am (out of which 3 hours we spent in trying to catch a bus from International to Domestic terminal, but all in vain :) ) Then from Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport to Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, in Indore, MP. But to make the hectic travel worth, we were welcomed so warmly to the cleanest city of India, with a garland and the exquisite Indori shawl. Phew! And this is only the 1st part...

II- Unavailability of preferred food choices

Being used to proper typical "South Indian" meals, the atmosphere at Indore was the polar opposite. Well, I couldn't take chances of experimenting with my health (of course!), so food was an issue. One couldn't find Idli-Sambhar or any of the South Indian dishes on the streets of Indore, other than the airport. I had to make do with dry food I had brought from home. My parents had predicted the unavailability of hygienic food-joints, so as a precautionary measure, took up foods that would survive for minimum of 5 days (well, you can guess what that might include). And that's how I survived, and returned safely (although the same could not be said for my travelling friends :( ). But this trip gave me, a certain aversion for North Indian dishes for a while, seeing these dishes at every corner of the city (sorry my dear North Indian Thalis!).

III- Erratic sleeping schedules

I am an early riser in general, but this trip tested my sleeping schedules, to a breaking point. Sleeping schedule from 12 AM midnight to 4 AM morning. That's all for a day. We reached the lodge after the event at 12 AM but since I had to take care of my bags and valuables, I had to sleep lightly. (Additionally, the staff at the lodge were not that tourist-friendly at first :( ) 

But overcoming this, I had the experience to visit the World-Renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, as one of the delegates from UAE.  This temple is one among the most sacred temples in India as it consists 1 of the 12 holy Jyotirlingas (the sacred abode of Lord Shiva). This temple holds a special place in the hearts of its devotees, as it is believed that visiting this temple, we can prevent an untimely death, because this temple is the only temple with the Jyotirlinga facing South. 

To visit this temple, we had to reach the temple by 6.30 AM for the Morning Aarathi, which is one of the special programs in this temple. Departed from the hotel by 4.30. (Imagine the time we had to wake up!). It was a 1-hour drive from Indore to Ujjain by Car. 

Coming this far to Indore, and not visiting this temple would have not made this trip worth. I had set my heart on visiting this architectural marvel, and that can be seen in me being the first person to turn up at the meeting point!

The atmosphere at the temple was very attractive and had a certain powerful aura. The life-sized idols of Lord Shiva and his family was definitely one of the eye-catching components of the temple. 

The underground temple was indeed worth visiting with the sacred wells and shrines. I was privileged to be a delegate of the convention as with the special passes, we were taken further into the temple and were allowed in for the special Puja, ending with the distribution of Prasadam (or Prasad). 

The temperature was very cold, around 5 degrees (if not less). It seemed walking within the temple, was a penance to the Gods. 

But the experience was a whole-hearted one, which I thouroughly enjoyed. If you are planning to visit Ujjain, in the near future, don't forget to visit the  Mahakaleshwar Temple!