WHEN ‘PANCHI PETA’ SAVED THE DAY & SERPENT KALIYA CAME DISGUISED AS A ‘PUNDITji’
I had the bitter experience of having to choose a Delhi-Mathura-Vrindavan-Agra bus tour operated by certain ‘Sharmaji ‘ of a Travel House , Delhi in the first week of October 2014. Instead of the Volvo bus I had booked a couple of seats in , we had to make do with a vehicle of different make.(I know, Sharmaji is well within his rights to do so , given the 'Terms & conditions' printed below the ticket) Although the tourists were allowed to spend just an hour and a half at the Taj Mahal & Agra fort, the organizers were generous in providing ample time at non-descript food joints and handicrafts / curios shops.It was indeed disgusting to think that you took all the trouble travelling from one end of India to Agra only to find yourself having a fleeting glimpse of one of the seven wonders of the world. Since my wife was hell-bent on buying lots of ‘Panchi Petha’ which her colleagues had clued her up on prior to the trip, we really had something to remember ...