Of small towns and their unparalleled charm
Remember the scene from ‘ Jab We Met’ in which Kareena was stranded in a small town Ratlam when she missed her train? She marveled at the narrow lanes and lifestyle of that small town, and points how she always wondered when she passed through it. Being an avid traveller myself, I totally related to the scene. Whenever I travel to a major tourist destination, I love to take a detour to such small towns and get the feel of those quirky lanes, laid-back life and local attractions. I did it when I went to Manali. I stopped at many towns enroute, drank tea at tea-stalls and explored their marketplaces. And, there are certain small towns that have caught my fancy for many years - one, because of its Bollywood reference and others, because my father. Every time he came back from his official trip, he narrated his experiences in detail. As a child whenever I heard, ‘ Jhumka gira re, bareilly ke bazaar mein’ on radio, I sketched Bareilly in my mind, specially its market. I always...