The trip to Hampi was exciting. Having heard the mythological narratives surrounding this historical town declared as a World Heritage site it was imperative that one went there. On an all womens trip organized by WOW 18 women mostly strangers to each other met at Hubli airport. From Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, we were an eclectic mix of women. Mostly professionals. A small compact airport. Well equipped despite its size.

We trooped into two buses and made our way to Hospet. The dusty roads were being widened indicating that the traffic volume due to expanding business or tourism perhaps necessitated it. There were green paddy fields, profusion of sunflowers, banana plantations and the landscape was dotted with windmills.

We trundled out of the bus in Hospet and were assigned room mates. With trepidation we marked our territories and the conversation was sporadic. The bus I was in had two young spunky women, a subdued woman who interspersed her conversation with hilarious one liners, a UPite from Delhi and the tour operator. We bought juicy oranges, bananas on the way and devoured them with relish. We passed food packets around, unsurely, cautiously. We talked in measured tones and the initial silences gave way to animated conversations.

In Hampi in a coaracle boat in companionable silence Brinda sang soulfully of Krishna in the bhajan of Pundaradasa. The peace was overwhelming.

The trip was very well organized. We were given printed itineraries, the person accompanying us was always around. She ensured and coordinated the motley group of 18 women. We traversed the country side, saw the sites posed for pictures and tried to eat all the local food, A banana leaf curry cooked in coconut milk was quite the rage. By the end of the trip we were a raucous bunch, chattering, exchanging information, joking about everything and at the end we parted with some misgivings lots of nostalgia and many memories. New friendships forged!

A whatsapp group was made for our convenience and still exists, the camaraderie and bonding has been transferred there. The Hampi Wanderers!

Trivia to be duly noted

  • There were two very personable well informed guides Raju and Basava Raj, who both managed to infuse life into the ruins and devastation we saw before us. It was obvious that their instinctive PR was very strong. They managed to charm all of us with their ready wealth of information, some humour and ability to click excellent pictures. Casual conversations revealed that they had undergone an extensive training by the Govt and were registered with the KTDC. They had to take exams and refresher courses, they were encouraged to read books which explained their somewhat indepth knowledge of the History. Laudable initiative. Wish the West Bengal Govt would take it up
  • Most of the sites had information on Braille along with adequate information on well placed hoardings in English Hindi and Kannadiga. Super!
  • Where possible there were ramps. Again a very thoughtful initiative
  • The sites were teeming with groups of kids in uniform. Nalini one of our group members wistfully commented that perhaps they were from her school. It transpired that many NGOs sponsored trips for underprivileged kids. The other schools organized such trips as a part of their regular curriculum. A stark difference from Kolkata!
  • The Vitthala temple is a complex manned entirely by women