Where is Roberg?

Sorry I haven’t been able to update you in a few days. Believe it or not, I’ve signed in almost every day since I’ve been in Lucknow, but every time I do there are some TERRIFIC comments with insightful and interesting questions that I have to answer. As a result, I haven’t been able to post an update recently, but here it goes…

Don’t read any further if you want to hear interesting things about India. I didn’t really see any in this city. If, however, you’re interested in reading about the difficulties travel can sometimes pose, by all means, continue on… I just want to warn you that this entry is more of a tale of woe and headaches than an upbeat and interesting account. Proceed at your own risk!

Regarding the title, “Lucknow: a bump in the road”, I hit my first significant snag in the trip here in Lucknow. Unfortunately, I started feeling the effects of a cold when I was in Allahabad. On my last day there, after a full day of walking around with Malin and Allison, I really started to feel the effects on my train ride to Lucknow. I was really tired and miserable on the 5 hour ride, and to make it worse, that was my Birthday.

When I arrived at 8:30 pm, it was cold and I had a bit of difficulty getting to my hotel, which was really a homestay. Luckily, I made it by 9:15, and the woman who ran the place made me dinner and gave me some Vicks to releave my stuffy nose. As I ate my birthday dinner alone (sorry I didn’t take a picture of it Mr. Seekamp – that was a good thought/comment), I hit the sack and tried to get a good night’s sleep.

The homestay actually caters to college students who are studying Urdu (one of the 19 official languages of India). Most people stay there for 6 to 8 months, so I was a bit of an oddball (as usual ). The room was fairly basic, but like most of the places I’ve been staying, it was VERY cheap (400 Rs = $10, including meals).

The next day, I set out to find a phone to call home to let my family know where I was and that I was safe. The short walk turned into a SIX hour walk as I wandered around to try to get my bearings. I was kind of like Forest Gump (”One day I started running, and I just kept going…” ) By the time I got back to the homestay, it was mid-afternoon, so I decided to relax, read, and give my body a break. I figured I would see all of Lucknow the next day and then take an overnight train to Amritsar, my next city.

The next morning, I still didn’t feel that well, but I ventured forth. My first order of business was to get a train ticket. That fiasco took FOUR hours, and I was on a wait-list (which meant that I would have to go back to the station again in the morning to see if I had a seat)! So, the second day in Lucknow turned into a bit of a waste.

On my third day, I went back to the station and got my seat. It was by far the most expensive train ride I’ve paid for here (a little over $50), but it is a first class ticket. At that point, I just want to get out of the black hole that has become Lucknow!

After arranging my train ticket, I finally made it to the main site in Lucknow, which is the Residency. The Residency is a large compound of buildings where a major siege of the Sepoy Rebellion occured. (Indian nationalists refer to it as the First War of Independence). The highlight of the Residency was the museum that has been set up in the main house. One can still see holes in the wall where cannon balls hit the building, and you can feel the history that happened here. In 1857, the sepoys (Indians who had been trained by and served in the British military) rebelled against British rule.

Part of the reason they rebelled was because a rumor had spread that the British had coated the bullets, which had to be opened with a soldier’s teeth, with cow and pig fat. For the sepoys, who were mostly Hindus and Muslims, eating a product of a cow (sacred to a Hindu) or pig (considered very dirty by Muslims), was forbidden. Of course there were other causes, but this rumor acted as the spark.

As a result, sepoys who had been loyal British soldiers rebelled against their foreign rule. They laid seige to the Residency, where 3000 loyal British subjects (soldiers, women, children, servants – a third of which were native Indians!) defended themselves for months. Naturally, the British tried to send help, but it took months to eventually break the seige and reassume control.

After all was said and done, approximately 2,000 British subjects and 5,000 Indians had died. As a result of this attempted rebellion, Britain took direct control of India (which had been controlled by the East India Company) in 1858. The British would retain control of India until 1948, when India and Pakistan were created as independent countries.

So, now that the history lesson is over, I have to go catch my train, which is running 3 hours late! I can’t seem to get out of this city!!!

Hopefully things go smoothly from now on. If you’ve made it this far in the post, thanks for being so loyal!! I hope you are all doing well.

Filed under: India, Travel