Look, Hear,Write: Just a minute!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Just a minute!

How long can one minute be? A silly question you might think but when you have to wait for the train at the Metro station, you will realise that one minute can stretch up to five minutes and sometimes more.
The display board on the platform tells you in how many minutes the train will arrive on the platform. 05, 04 , 03,02, 01, changes the time on the board and you think that the train will just screech in within a minute. But that doesn’t happen …The wait goes on …. The 01 minute gets longer…. The clock just behind the board ticks away, 1 minute, 2 minutes …but the display board still tells you that the train will come in 01 minute. You check your own watch and then the fellow passenger’s watch… 3 minutes, 4 minutes… the display still shows 01 minute for train arrival… The irritation level increases… finally the train comes… you look at the watch again…. Good 10 minutes have passed but the display tells you that it was just a minute…
The regular travellers will vouch for it … It happens almost daily

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On the Malwa plateau

According to encyclopaedia Britannica, the name Malwa is derived from the Sanskrit word malav (part of the abode of Laksmi, goddess of wealth).

And the goddess seems to have actually blessed the region. It has a glorious past --- the plateau was ruled by the Maurya, Gupta, and Paramara dynasties; many Buddhist temples and monuments like stupas at Sanchi, were built during that time. The plateau was conquered by the Muslims in 1390 AD and became part of the Maratha empire. In 1817 it passed to the British.

Of volcanic origin, the plateau comprises Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan. In elevation, it ranges from 500 to 600 metres above sea level. The western part of the region is drained by the Mahi River, the middle section by the Chambal River, and the eastern part by the Betwa River and the headwaters of the Dhasan and Ken rivers. Other rivers include the Parbati, Sipra, Gambhir, and Choti Kali Sindh, their valleys flanked by terraced slopes. Vegetation is of the savanna type with scattered teak and sal forests.

The economy of the region is mostly agricultural; cereal grains, pulses (legumes), oilseeds, and cotton are the main crops. Industries produce cotton textiles, ginned cotton, sugar, vegetable oil, lumber, and paper.

The region, especially Madhya Pradesh, has been described as the heart of Incredible India in the government’s tourism advertisement campaign. For once, I agree with the government.