A Bit about my Birthplace

Institute of Science

This city in Central India has always been an eternal part of my life. Both my maternal and paternal sides of the family resided in this city. A generic clue that may help everyone to crack the place is the presence of a diamond railway crossing. The place I am referring to is Nagpur, located in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, India.

Even though I have spent most of my summer vacations in Nagpur, I never really saw the city. I had no clue about the famous places or the local cuisines. It was only a few years back, that I started looking beyond the backyards.

Central Museum (Also known as The Ajab Bangla)

During one such winter, I decided to explore the city more, and my search landed me on an Instagram page by the name mandira_nagpuri (earlier known as orange odyssey). A variety of walks had been posted on the page. A historic walk by the name “Dawn of British Raj in Nagpur" was happening around the same time as I was in the city. I decided to grab the opportunity.

Office of Joint Director Higher Education (The British Residency)

Although I have been a part of similar such walking tours in Mumbai, this walkthrough felt a bit different and unique. I can vividly remember the starting point of this tour as the Freedom Park Metro station. I was stunned to see the number of participants, who had turned up. As usual, the walking tour had exceeded its scheduled duration. A significant reason for it was the humongous colonial buildings we all were looking at. This walk occurred in and around Civil Lines, an area I had visited since childhood. It was through this exploration that I came to know about the surroundings in depth.

Once I randomly messaged Mandira to inquire if a shorter walk could be arranged, she suggested doing the "Weavers of Mominpura Walk". Initially, I was skeptical about going for the walk. As I had never been to that area in my previous Nagpur stays.

This walk began at a dilapidated library building. It was heartening to see the conditions of the structure. From then, Mandira led me through the narrow by lanes towards a small makeshift grey door. The door opened to a vast hall full of hand-woven machines. I was fascinated to see the various colourful threads and the patterns being woven out. There was no work happening in this workshop during my visit. We even visited the house of one of the weavers, their hospitality was unmatched.

While walking around the area, I came across 2-3 places where the machines were in motion. A walk across this area was quite adventurous as one had to dodge the machines. Since I had made a private booking, I had ample time to click photos and shoot videos in all formats.

My next Nagpur trip was a week before Ganesh Chaturthi. I had rarely visited Nagpur in those months; hence I was looking forward to the visit. The reason for my excitement was the “Milan of Marbats” Festival. About two years back, I learned about this festival through Mandira’s Instagram. This festival only takes place in the Itwari area of Nagpur. The roots of this festival date back to the 1800s and focus on the social evils prevalent in society to this day. There are two main Marbats, Black or the Kalli Marbat and Yellow, also known as Pilli Marbat.  The Marbats are eco-friendly effigies made of materials such as bamboo and Paper Mache. This makes them easier to carry during the Milan of Marbats procession, as they are lighter in weight.

Over time, the number of Marbats has increased. The first Marbat I visited was the Kalli Marbat, a towering statue about 12 feet high. A story associated with Black Marbat goes as follows, A Rakshani known as Putna was supposed to kill Krishna through poisned breast milk. But Krishna bite her, which led to her death. This is the reason for the representation of white strips. I was truly blessed, as I had given birth a few months ago.

We then made our way towards the Pilli or the Yellow Marbat. She was adorned with jewellery from top to bottom. There was even Mehndi on her hands and legs. This Marbat is a few feet taller than the Kalli Marbat. During the Milan of the Marbats, the Kalli bows down to the Pilli. Unfortunately, I couldn’t witness the actual festival. I will surely attend it someday.

Then further down the road, Mandira took me through a small wooden door, which opened to a vast temple complex. Beautiful ornate temples all around—a visual treat for an art lover like me. Once again, I just lost myself to the intricate designs and the marvels of the place. The aura was just so calm and positive.

At the end of the Mominpura Walk, Mandira treated me to a sweet delicacy: a Gulgula. It’s round and soft in texture. Made of whole wheat,sugar and are deep-fried. I had another familiar fried item during the Milan of Marbats tour: the samosa.

I still have much on my plate regarding the various areas I want to explore in Nagpur.