Vrindavan, 2016.02.16 (VT): When I saw these slick bus-stop-type covered benches going up on the Parikrama Marg and elsewhere in the town, I thought to myself, this is not a good idea.
I suppose that the intentions were good. People would get to sit down somewhere else besides a tea stall or squatting on the ground. It would look cool for visitors from Delhi… and to foreigners I suppose, those dollar-laden tourists they seem to covet so badly.
They were supposed to have a little map to “let you know where you are” and, of course, advertising. Some of the well-preserved shelters are those with glossy ads. Do I ever hate this commercialization of Vrindavan Dham!
Anyway, this is the situation barely a year later. The monkeys use these as jumping off points and I don’t think the plastic was designed for that kind of abuse. But in general, this is not the Delhi Metro, nor is most of Delhi. And not everyone wants Vrindavan to look like Delhi.
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And… elsewhere on the Parikrama Marg I encountered this delightful sight, a three-for. We have generally been very pleased to see the electric rickshaws (e-rickshaws, for this is India!). They don’t make any noise. They move at a human speed. I can often outrace them on my bicycle. But of course they do get wrecked and burned out. Someone had the artistic genius to put the wreck underneath this crumbling centuries old wall, being munched away by a marauding banyan tree.
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So I picked out a few of the less attractive sights this time. But I promise some nice photos from this part of the Parikrama Marg over the next couple of days.
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