It’s crazy how rarely you notice your own surroundings. It’s even crazier that you don’t really understand what treasures they hold until you look at them from afar.
Indian small towns are all similar, yet all of them have a distinct feel to them. In a big city, you are one in a million trying to make it big. But, in a small town, you’re someone as soon as you’re born.
In these lazy towns, people are more important than places. And, maybe, that is why their heritage gets neglected.
I belong to a similar small town called Tonk in Rajasthan. Its only claim to fame is its proximity to Jaipur, the capital city, and actor Irfan Khan. More recently, it was in the news as Khaleel Ahmed, one of its many talented players, made it to the Indian cricket team.
I lived in Tonk till I was 10 and then, we moved out for better prospects. From then until now, the world has changed drastically. Yet, Tonk seems to be the same.
The afternoons are still lazy, the chai thadis are still buzzing and the people still seem to have no worries.
When we were kids, we were envious of kids from other places. Sadly, Tonk never had any place for recreation. No parks, malls or picnic spots; occasional melas were our only solace.
But, there was one “Rasiya ki Tekri“. A small tomb built on the peak of Tonk’s tallest mountain. The folklore says that the famous queen Razia Sultan came to Tonk and it was built for her to oversee her armies.
The biggest adventure for people from Tonk was to climb that Tekri and then, speak about it for years to come (with exaggeration, of course).
I didn’t how cool Rasia (or Razia?) Ki Tekri was until one of my friends from a big city looked at its picture and said, “Wow.”
Ain’t we all the same? We don’t value our possessions unless an outsider appreciates it.
But, this isn’t over, friends. There’s more.
So, Tonk boasts of a river called Banas. Yes, it’s difficult to believe for non-Rajasthanis to believe that Rajasthan has river. It’s strange but it’s true.
There’s a beautiful haveli on the banks of this river. It’s private property. And, because everyone is each other’s relative in Tonk, I was fortunate enough to visit this haveli as a child once.
The main entrance opens up to a huge garden spread over an acre of land. From what I remember, it had a lot of banyan trees. Once you pass through the garden, you reach the haveli. It’s based on Victorian architecture.
There are is a huge open verandah after the steps and you can look at the river from there. My mom told me that it was built that way so that one could have their tea at the river bank.
Luxuries, I tell you.
Anyway, this beautiful place still remains private property. And, if its owners end up reading this, I would request them to turn this into a boutique hotel, at least. I would love to have tea on that verandah for real.
Moving on, let me take you to one more place. So, I had moved out of my state a few years ago and I would return occasionally to visit. During that period, I looked at my own city with the eyes of an outsider.
I stood on my terrace and saw some blackened tombs not very far from my home.
I told my mom that I wanted to go. Like any other mom, she said no. But I played my “I-will-go-in-2-days” card and she relented.
And, that was the day I discovered the ruins of what could have been. Tonk is Rajasthan’s only Nawabi riyasat. And just like Delhi, you can still find incomplete structure from olden times.
They all have a story. Maybe they were built as a resthouse for the caravans. Maybe the Nawab wanted to build something here but then, decided against it. There are many maybes and no answer.
However, there’s one thing that persists. These incomplete structures tell you that their story is still open-minded and it could be turned around any day with a little bit of care.
This city is Natamam. Oh, did I tell you that there’s something called Natamam ki Kothi in Tonk? Well, that’s a story for another day, guys.
Until then, keep looking for your treasure. It will probably be in the place you began.