Asia 2006: Random Bozo goes to Maharashtra

Woken by kid hall- porter - am I checking out? No, so I pay for tonight and then catch the state tour-bus to Pratapgadh, a hillfort built by Chatapatri Shivaji in the 17th century BCE. Here he killed Shah Jahan, a muslim king from Delhi (I think) who was trying to take over the Marathi area at a peace-conference they'd agreed to hold in this hall. It's an amazing structure at the top of a very high hill, with brilliant look-out posts, escape tunnels and other features which may well have made it impregnable.

(The tour-bus also stopped at a handcraft and fruit-selling center - the strawberries in this area are a large part of its 'industry' and are delicious. I also bought a funky woven-straw sun-hat but I think I eventually gave this away in Goa.)

The local folk are raising money for a school at Pratapgadh. there (15 families live in the fort, working as tourist guides and/or running refreshment stalls or maintaining the place) My diary entry simply says that I cooked in the sun and reminds me that I don't have many photos from Pratapgadh because my camera's batteries ran out of charge and I hadn't brought any spares.

My diary then has several pages of notes about shopping. (The next few paragraphs are seriously edited because the originals refer to a some very personal conversations.)

Decide to do some souvenir shopping so I start checking prices in the shops on the main street. Most places sell kurtas (long, loose, typically 'islamic style') blouses but I'm noting prices in my diary when a young bloke (Wahid) approaches me to ask me to come and talk with his uncle. Mr Shah has seen me writing in my diary several times and is curious about what I'm writing. So I tell him it's my diary and we talk about what I'm doing here and what he does. He runs a small shop called the Kashmiri Arts Palace, selling clothing and other textiles he buys in his native area (near Srinagar, Kashmir's capital) and sells here.

Wahid's interested in setting up his own business, ideally wholesaling into the export market (so that he can work on smaller margins but make more money overall). He's not aiming to get rich but simply to make a living and raise money to benefit his home area. He also tells me about a charity which helps street-children in Goa that he's trying to help and of a local multi-faith inititative/conference in nearby Panchgani he'd like to attend. His stated dedication and philanthropy put my dilletantism to shame. I've agreed to look for places he might use as outlets in the UK - anyone got any ideas? I suppose it's possible that I could order a job lot of Mr Shah and Wahid's produce, so is anyone interested in hand-made Kashmiri shawls, sarees, pashminas, wood-carvings and carpets? Kashmiri sarees differ from 'standard' Indian sarees by being made of slightly heavier white cloth which is embroidered. Sometimes there's cutwork, reminiscent of some my grandmother made in Vienna and it all looks quite special and beautiful.

Wahid and Mr Shah tell me that, contrary to my guidebook's recommendation to avoid Kashmir, over 300,000 tourists visited last year and more are expected this year. There's a popular ski-ing resort at Gulmarg (Ian and Jenni - want to check it out?) Wahid also begs me to understand that hardly any muslims are terrorists, contrary to the impression he fears I might have from western media. I tell him that I don't have this attitude at all, citing the example of a couple I knew who were South African but of muslim/north Indian origin and were two of the most caring and intelligent people I've ever met. Wahid reckoned (and I tend to agree) that there's just a few idiots in any faith (or other) group who spoil it for the rest of the group. Incidentally, I read in today's Times of India that Iran now claims it doesn't want nuclear weapons but only its 'rightful' civil nuclear power.

Much later, having successfully shopped, I met the magician again while I was having a very late meal - a gurjurati thali which contained the most delicious sauce I've yet tasted in India and getting upset with him when he asked to see my cellphone (I had no problem with him comparing it with his own Nokia) but then appearing to change some of my settings. I realized he wasn't actually trying to do so and so calmed down and apologized. (I think I was more fractious than usual because of lack of sleep and the occasional communication breakdown.)