The Hills Come Alive with Ancient Songs
We still had two hours of daylight left when we left Chindwara on our way to Panchmarhi – both in Madhya Pradesh. It had been raining since the morning and its occasional ferocity threatened to wash out the Handloom Exhibition which had been sponsored by our organisation and enthusiastically set up by the weavers from the nearby regions. Our bullet point agenda had already delayed us and we were wondering if it would still be possible to visit Patalkot, a tribal village, which entailed a 17 kms detour from the main road. The drive to Tamia, a picturesque town on the way, was like stepping back in time to a land infused with poetic images and an era, which could well have fitted into a passage in history. Vast fields covered in verdure stretched into the horizon, its edges fringed by the rays from a watery sun. Hutments bandaged in tarpaulin and guarded by herds of buffaloes dotted the land - no factories, no malls, no cafes in sight...