3.2. Travel like Maharaja

A1. Planning for a tripYour teacher will divide the class into comfortable groups. In groups, read the following map of a train tour. Browse through to note: days of journey, the route, the starting station, attractions of the tour.

A2. ExperienceYou must have travelled by train or plane. Discuss with your partner your experience on the following points:

1. Preparation for the journey2. Scene outside the station/airport3. Boarding experience4. Fellow passengers5. Journey you like: by train or by plane – reasons

A3. Text TypeRead Part I and find out what type of text this is. What leads to reach your answer?1. An informative narrative2. A travelogue3. A story

Part I:At the edge of New Delhi’s diplomatic quarter, Safdarjung railway station

seems almost deserted when I arrive. Then suddenly a piper and hand-drummer strike up. A young woman garlands me, a scarlet turban with a long tail is placed on my head and vermilion powder dabbed on my brow. An attendant in black jodhpurs and white tunic relieves me of my bag and helps me up into the iridescent bar-lounge of an ivory-coloured train alongside the solitary platform. I sink into an armchair upholstered in green silk. I am startled by the images of myself in the ceiling’s mirrors.

I’m finally aboard the Palace on Wheels, the world’s most exotic train, for a sightseeing tour of Rajasthan, arguably our most exotic state. When I finish my tea, an attendant escorts me to my cabin. As he turns to leave after settling me in, I ask for the key.

“No key, sir” he says. “Palaces are never locked.”That evening, in the two restaurant coaches – appropriately named The

Maharaja and The Maharani – the passengers gather for dinner. It’s the middle of April and, with temperatures touching 40 degrees C, not the best of times to traipse

through our desert state. The air-conditioned train, which normally carries more than a hundred passengers, is only half-full. Those aboard include a Norwegian retired oil executive, a Catholic priest from England, an Australian of Indian descent, an African-American wealth management expert, a German anesthetist, a South African calamari exporter, and a Swiss IT engineer. Most of the passengers are wealthy middle-aged couples – my single occupancy cabin costs Rs.23,000 a night plus taxes – and the priest confesses that he had to encash half his savings to pay for the trip.

I had no problems falling asleep that night as our train rattled through the darkness to Jaipur, our first stop. But many of the foreigners, I later learnt, were not so lucky – it can take a couple of nights for those not accustomed to long train travel to get used to the carriage’s rocking.

A4. Now read Part I again and working in pairs/groups answer the following questions in brief:1. 1. How was the writer welcomed on arrival?

2. From which different countries did the passengers come to attend the trip?3. Why was the train half full?

2. 1. How were the passengers travelling by ‘The Palace on Wheels’?2. Which is not the best time to travel on ‘The Palace on Wheels’, according to the writer? Why?

3. 1. Why do you think the journey is called ‘A palace on Wheels’?

A5. CompleteGo through Part I again and complete the following:1. The Palace on Wheels departs from ________ 2. The passengers were welcomed by _________ 3. The writer was wonderstruck by __________ 4. The restaurant coaches were named _______ 5. The cost of the journey by the Palace on Wheels was ______ 6. The priest admitted that _______ 7. The foreigners had the problem of _______ 8. The middle of April was ________

A6. PassengersGlance through part I, look at the list of passengers and match:

A B

1. a Norwegian a. priest from England2. a Catholic b. IT engineer3. a German c. anesthetist4. a Swiss d. calamari exporter5. a South African e. Indian descent6. an Australian f. retired oil executive

A7. Railway PlatformGo through Part I quickly and compare the scene of the Palace on Wheels platform with a general railway platform. Make use of the following points:

Particulars General Platform Platform of Palace on Wheels Number of peopleReceptionWork cultureCoolies / attendants

A.8. Change in the train designThe Part II mentions three stages of the development of the train Palace on Wheels. Tracing the historical development he calls it as three incarnations. Describe them in brief:First incarnation:Second Incarnation:Third Incarnation:

A.9. Visits:Go through Part II and make a list of the places that the writer visited and what he saw there.Place Experience:Jaipur Capital with all fascinations________ _________ ________ _________

Part II Though “Palace on Wheels” sounds like an adman’s invention, the name has

some basis in fact. The train has had several incarnations and its first version consisted of the actual coaches that India’s royals and\\British viceroys had built for themselves.

But after Independence, when the wings of the nobles were clipped, the royal saloons gradually fell into neglect. Then in the early 1980s, canny Rajasthan

government officials, inspired by Europe’s legendary Orient Express, decided to refurbish and reconfigure several vintage saloons and create a luxury train to showcase their state’s magnificent royal legacy.

Today, more than 3500 tourists travel on train during the eight months that it’s operational every year. Demand is so great in December and January – peak travelling season – that berths have to be booked months in advance.

One unfailing attraction in the initial years was the train’s steam locomotive. Passengers regularly begged to ride in the hot, dusty iron horse, shoveling coal, blowing the whistle and sharing a cup of spicy tea with the rimy engine driver.

In 1991, the first Palace on Wheels was replaced by an incarnation that combined regal plushness and modern engineering. Then four years later, after the railway track was broadened, the third – and current – avtar appeared. But, alas, it had a diesel engine.

IF YOU GO:

Passengers have a full schedule on the Palace on Wheels tours so you have no time of your own except when you’re on the train. But here are a few tips for the journey.

9. Clothes: pack sparingly since there isn’t much closest space and if possible, leave excess luggage in a New Delhi hotel. Laundry facilities are available on the train. Save space for purchases. Take comfortable, informal clothing as nobody dressed up. Rajasthan is a conservative state, so women should not wear shorts. Apart from sub block, take an umbrella to protect your skin.

10. Food: you don’t get gourmet meals, but the set menu is plentiful and tasty which has been de-spiced for Western palates.

11. Sightseeing: Take a reliable guidebook to the places you’re visiting. The guides who escort you are sometimes stronger on legends than on facts.

12. Shopping: Jaipur is especially good for semi-precious stones and handicrafts. Udaipur for miniature paintings and Jaisalmer for embroidery.

13. Info & booking: Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. rtdc.in/pow.htm or book online at palaceonwheels-booking com/tariff-schedule.html

A.10. Now read Part II again and working in pairs/groups answer the following questions in brief:1. What did the first version of the train consist of?2. When did the royal saloon gradually fall into neglect?3. Where can you get additional information about touring in Rajasthan?

4. What are the special features of travelling on ‘The Palace on Wheels’?5. Why were some of the passengers not lucky?6. What does ‘if you go’ section inform you about?7. What do you think are the attractions of travelling on ‘The Palace on

Wheels’?8. What sort of planning will you do to go on ‘The Palace on Wheels’?

A.11. Incredible India Your teacher will divide the class into groups. Each group leader will make a survey of the opinions of the group mates using the following survey chart. Prepare a small paragraph and the group leaders will report it to the class.

Group Survey chartName of the place Location Specialty

A.12. Planning to go.Read Part III and complete the following only in words and bullet form:Clothes to carry:Food:Sightseeing:Shopping: Information and Booking:

Part IIIIt’s early morning in Jaipur, our first stop. We get off the train after

breakfast and are garlanded swiftly. A small elephant, its face ablaze with coloured patterns, waves its trunk in welcome. We’ve got a full day of sightseeing and shopping ahead.

The city was founded in the late 1720s by Maharaja Jai Singh II, an unusual monarch who as warrior as well as a mathematician and astronomer. Rudyard Kipling, a newspaper correspondent here in the late 19th century, wondered if “a year would be sufficient to exhaust its interest,” Even today, Rajasthan’s capital has lost none of the fascination.

Our bus lumbers towards our first sight – the Laxmi Narayan Temple, a pure white marble structure. We join carts, cows, dogs, camels, bicycles and pedestrians all dodging each other. In addition to Hindu idols, there are representation of Buddha, Christ, Confucius, Socrates and Zarathustra.

The next sight is Jantar Mantar, an observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II. Its huge marble-and-local-stone structures include 22-metre-high sundial, the world’s largest. And during a tour of the adjacent city palace I’m drawn to two enormous silver urns, each more than 1.5 metres high. They were apparently made for an ultraorthodox 19th century maharaja who filled them with the Holy Ganga water and took them to England so that he could ritually depollute himself during his trip!

We now drive outside the city for an elephant ride up to a fort-palace on top of a hill. But as we step off the bus, a snotty-nosed six or seven-year-old in torn clothes materializes, shouting, “Magic, magic!”

Finally a magician whom I can cut down to size, I think, and ask him to perform. Forthwith, he starts producing coins from my nose, ears and ankles and although I observe him like a hawk, I can’t figure out how he does it.

“Who taught you all this” I ask the kid, as he switches to a trick involving three inverted cups and a disappearing stone.

“My father,” he says. Alas, magic has a future here! There’s knock on my cabin door and our saloon attendant, Laxman Singh

enters with a stearing cup of tea and a couple of biscuits. “5.15, sir,” he says. “Already?” I groan.“Sorry, sir, but the tigers are waiting.” And within half an hour we’re driving

through the darkness to Ranthambore National Park amongst the best known of India’s 39 tiger reserves. Created to protect these endangered big cats, the reserves on the whole, have not been a success. India’s tiger population has steadily declined to around 1410 animals today. Ranthambore has fewer than 40.

It’s dawn by the time we enter the park and our guide points to the ground and sys, “Pug marks Fresh, Tiger not far away.” Perhaps so, but we drive around for two hours spotting peacocks, deer, baboons, owls, antelopes and other assorted wild life – but no tigers. We’re the only group among the passengers to have missed the big cat.

In my cabin, Laxman commiserates with me. “You’ll come back, he says,” “and see a tiger. I’m sure.”

By common agreement, the most valuable asset of the Palace on Wheels is its subordinate staff. At our beck and call round the clock, these men bring us tea, serve us food, carry our luggage, hand us chilled towels and generally minister to us with genuine dignity and grace.

In the three days, after Ranthambore, the passengers visit Udaipur, with its sparkling lakes; Jaisalmer, a city built of golden sandstone in the heart of a desert, and Jodhpur, once the proud capital of Rajasthan’s largest kingdom and home to the Marwaris.

Unfortunately my journey came to an end and I had to leave the fairy land and return to the real world. A13. Now read Part III again and after discussing with your partners/groups answer the following questions:

1. What did Rudyard Kipling say about the city? How true is it?2. What was the belief of 19th century maharaja?3. Describe the tricks performed by the magician boy.4. Describe Ranthambore.5. How does the writer praise the subordinate staff?6. What is the most valuable asset of ‘The Palace on Wheels’?7. What was the writer’s comment on Ranthambore? Why?8. “Alas, the magic has a future here.” Why does the writer say so?9. What do you think was the writer’s experience of the journey? A14. Doer of actionI, look at the following sentences and the underlined part. Later discuss with your friend the questions given below and note your response:

1. A scarlet turban with long tail is placed on my head. What is placed on my head?Who placed it?

Now look at the following sentence.

2. The attendant placed a scarlet turban with a long tail on my head.Who placed?What is placed?What is the difference between sentence ‘a’ and ‘b’?

Since the doer of the action in sentence (a) is not given or unknown, therefore, the verb used is in Passive Voice’. The action is important.

In sentence ‘b, the doer of the action is given in the beginning, therefore, it is in ‘Active Voice’. The doer of the action is important.

3. Go through the different texts quickly and find out at least ten examples of active and passive type.

4. Rearrange the following words to make meaningful sentences.

1. Never locked re palaces.

2. Rajasthan government officials/Europe’s legendary Orient Express/was inspired by

3. were broadened/the railway tracks4. by Maharaja Jai Singh II/the city/were found in the late 1720’s.5. the noble/the wings/were clipped

6. Write the notices/advices to be placed at the following places. One is done for you, a hotel, a hospital, a railway platform, in a bus, at a hill station, in a public garden……

Examination Hall: Arrangement for the Award Ceremony You should keep silence Use the following words:

7. Copying is strictly prohibited i) cards are printed8. Mobiles are not allowed ii) invitations ……9. Use of calculators is not permitted iii) trophies ……10. ….. iv) stage /……11. …… v) certificates …. …..

A15. RearrangeLook at the following sentences which are mixed up. Read Part III and rearrange them in order.1. They drove through the darkness of Ranthambore National Park to watch

tigers2. The next sight was Jantar Mantar 3. Six year old shows magic trick which was difficult to figure out.4. Jaipur was our first stop.5. Then he went out of city for an elephant ride up to a fort Palace.

A16. Traveller’s Diary.You have gone for a picnic with your class. Using the following points develop pages of your diary.Day.Sights visited.Remarkable experiences:Rest and recreation:Travel Stay

A17. ItineraryGo through all the three parts and prepare an imaginative itinerary of the writer.

First day:Start of a journey:First night travelDinner:Second day:Visits………… ………….

Do you know?6. Total railway track in Km in India : 632737. The longest railway platform: 64,0158. Mini train in India: Matheran, Darjeeling:9. Railway started in India in the year 1853 and the first railway travelled from

Mumbai to Thane.10. Longest route 4286 K.m. Vivek Express, Dibrugarh (Assam) to

Kanyakumari 82.30 hrs journey.

A18. SuffixLook at the following pairs of words:

fascinate fascination You get a new word just by adding – ion. Go through the write up and find

out all the words that end with–ness.-tion. –ion. And write down as above. Find some words which are originally with that spelling and are not formed by adding any suffix.

A19. Word registerWhich forms of transport train, car, boat or plane do you associate the following with?Set sail, a cruise, traffic jam, commotion, compartment, express way, lounge, three tiers, shunting, cabin.Now go through all the three parts and make list of all the words associated with transport/traveling by train.

A20. FeedbackImagine the writer is expected to fill in the feedback from. Look at the following form and mark down the responses after discussing with your partner. Go through the write up again to confirm your responses. You may add some of your points for the feedback sheet.

The Palace on wheels:Our valued passenger remarks: 1. What made you choose the ‘Palace on Wheels’ for your tour?2. How did you get information about the tour?1. From friend.2. From other passengers3. From travel agent4. …5. ….6. Please give your remarks for the following:

Excellent good poorFood _____ ______ Service _____ ______ Cabins _____ ______ Cleanliness _____ ______ Transport _____ ______ Entertainment _____ ______

7. Suggestions:

8. Any other remark:

A21. Project

Visit www.indianrail.gov.in the official website of Indian Railways. Get information about the different tourist Trains, Round Trip Trains. Collect maps of those train routes. Find out the details provide by the web-site.

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