Karnataka Leg

Mohammad Gulzar has sent us this beautiful snapshot of the group from Bangalore 

As attendance dips steadily to single digit at the Garden, our focus must shift to where most of our members currently are -- to where the action is. According to information reaching here, Shekhawat’s 32-member gang on the South India Tour (November 24 to December 3) has just completed the Karnataka leg and are moving onward towards Ooty by road. They should reach there by the late evening.
“The weather is absolutely heavenly,” exulted Shekhawat on the phone. “Wherever you look, you see only green and green. I have never seen so much greenery in my life. The locals tell us that it had been raining continuously for four days, but the moment we arrived, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We are all having a great time!”

In Mumbai: On a loose end 

Of all the touristy places the group has visited so far, what appears to have appealed most to all is the Brindavan Garden at Srirangapatna, near Mysore. Almost everyone would like to spend an extra night there to revisit the famous Musical and Dancing Fountain show held in the evenings. Since the place was unusually crowded yesterday, some in the group (like Khatoon Baig) could not enjoy the spectacular ‘water ballet’. “There was so much of pushing and jostling that we had to hold on to one another’s hands firmly, lest someone disappeared in the crowd,” Shekhawat narrated.
However, what has left a lasting impact on Shekhawat (as on some others as well), is the visit to ‘Ramgarh’ of Sholay fame. The place is officially known as Ramnagara (not far from Bangalore) which used to be a rocky expanse when the film was shot there in 1975. Many props and installations -- like the water tank Dharmendra had climbed, threatening “soocide” -- have since been retained and are major tourist attractions today. “Did you know they have even preserved Basanti’s tonga!” exclaimed Shekhawat.
For most members in the group, this tour is turning out to be one relaxed and glorious journey into new, undiscovered spaces, both physical and mental. They had set out with no preparation, no preconceived notion, no expectation, no hopes. So every step they take now is a happy eye-opener. Pity, this did not happen earlier.