Salut les amis,

Travelling has always been a passion… A recreation beyond all comparison as it not only heals ones physic but also fills the emptiness of your soul and gives you new insights. My visit to Agra, though not entirely for sightseeing turned out to be quite an interesting experience. A day that I shall cherish for years to come, I owe to a special guide….

I have always been enraptured by spontaneous persons…. This time around I had the wonderful chance of meeting Mohammed a boy aged 12-15years (didn’t ask him the age- that would be rude right?). As I and my hubby walked along the sidewalks of the long road to Buland Darwaza (Gate of Magnificence, located in Fatehpur Sikri) a fleet of guides waltzed towards us offering their services for the next couple of hours. The chorus of Sir and Ma’am surrounded us from all directions, that’s when an uncharacteristic voice, the voice of a kid saying “shero shayari ke saath kare Buland Darwaze ki sair” (enjoy the tour with short poems) caught our attention

The moment he noticed us paying attention he walked through the crowd with immense confidence, sheer boldness in the short strides and a pleasant smile.  Somehow, ‘fearless’ was the first word that came into my mind when I saw the skinny lad. What is so special in you? Why would we take you as our guide? These were the questions my husband asked. The answer was quite interesting… “Woh sab jinki sooch buland hoti hai…….Jaise ki Aap aur Madamji, unko hum pyaar se Buland Darwaza dikhate hai” {to all whose thoughts fly high, like you and madam, I show Buland darwaza with love} …. Cheesy, but I couldn’t help but fall into the charms of this child, who due to unknown reasons was spending his time entertaining people with his quick anecdotes and knowledge about this historic monument. So we had found ourselves an interesting guide.

The monument, made of red and buff sandstone, 54mtrs from ground level stood majestically enveloped by the blue sky. The flight of broad stairs managed to take one’s breath away but not as much as the impact of the enormity of the structure. You couldn’t help but gape wide eyed at the enormous gateway. The pavement was covered by tourists and vendors. The huge wooden door covered with horseshoes surely catches one’s attention, which Mohammed explained was once a form of wishing for well being and health of the animals (the kings surely loved their horses I can say, looking at the number of horseshoes alone). Then came the vast courtyard, the sidewalks arched by pillars.

The white marble encased tomb of Sufi saint Salim Chishti stands beautifully in the middle of the courtyard. Mohammed depicted his brilliant skill of keeping the tourists interested with another round of shayari, followed by a brief history about the construction of this gigantic structure (Buland Darwaza or the loft gateway was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in 16^th century. It was built to memorialise his victory over Gujarat, constructed in 12yrs). Following this we were practically ushered into the Dargah- tomb of Sufi saint Salim Chishti, for offering the Chadar and tying the mannat ka dhaga (making an offering and tying a sacred thread for fulfilling some wish). Then the tour took us to the locked underground door which Mohammed explained was a secret passageway used by the kings during wars for a quick escape. There was another story saying it was the route used to banish Anarkali, the famous dancer who was in love with prince Salim (Akbar’s son) in contrary to the story that says that Anarkali was buried alive in a brick wall.

We followed Mohammed through the array of tombs, lined with inscriptions in Urdu or Persian, walked through the sidewalks chatting with the vendors, looking at handicraft made of marble, ornaments made of different stones and books that could be carried as souvenir. Soon it was time to bid adieu to our little guide, who with his chirpy voice and happy smile had made the tour even more worthwhile. We couldn’t let him go…not until he had quoted a few more shayaries atleast… Eagerly he recited a few more well versed shyari adding a few sirji and madamji in between… When I asked him his name and sought his permission to click a picture of his he was more than happy to pose. Taking his payment he rushed back to his friends, that was when we realised that we had paid him more than the preset amount. The slip-up was just being measured when we saw him walking towards us again, and as he handed over the extra cash my heart saw a bright and honest face in front of me. The face of a child who on one side was striving to make the ends meet, but nevertheless was so upright in his ways that even an extra penny was to be earned the hard way.

Heart and mind clouded with respect for the child, we walked outside, and as I glanced back towards the great archway the Persian inscriptions caught my eyes. The translation of the inscription reads “Isa (Jesus), son of Mary said: ‘The world is a Bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer for the rest is unseen”. Sending a silent prayer for the wellbeing of Mohammed, we walked in the evening light towards Jodha Bai’s Palace ( Jodha Bai is a misnomer frequently used in reference to Mariam uz-Zamani or Heer Kunwari, the first Rajput wife of Emperor Akbar). 

This is Satrangee parchute hoping that the child gets better opportunities in life to shine at his brightest…..