My experiences

Yesterday when I was thinking of my days spent in bhopal, I realized that I could not remember much. I thought it will be a good idea to write about time spent in bhopal to keep my memories fresh.

My year long stay in bhopal was a pleasant and memorable on personal front although it was a tough time professionally.

Termed as city of lakes, Bhopal can be called pensioners paradise. Though it is capital Madhya Pradesh, its not the commercial capital of state. As it is not commercially exploited, it has minimal pollution or traffic problems. Surrounded by lakes and ample of green gardens, the city is a tourist destination.

My initial stay was near New Market (in Hotel Sarthak) for a month. New market is “new” only by it’s  name. Actually its a typical old market with many small shops selling variety of items at nominal rates. Its a place to find good bargain and suitable for those who do not believe in branded items (like me).

One can expect quality food in two restaurants nearby  New Market – Bapu ki Kutia and other….. I forgot the name. See, as I said …My bhopal memory is fading.

Fortunately after a month of my stay in Hotel Sarthak, I was able to find good home . I had visited many houses and eventually settled for this one. It was loacated in front of Danapani Restaurent (a very famous landmark in Arera Colony) and quite near to 12 number bus stop. The only issue was that my home was at commercially undeveloped area. Which means that I had to travel at least 2 kms to buy anything.  The nearest shopping area was Siwae Complex that I used to visit once in a while to buy groceries.

I used to travel to MP Nagar for official work. The name MP Nagar was after the king Maharana Pratap (MP), who ruled the state for many years.   This place is a commercial hub of bhopal crowded with offices , showrooms and variety of shops. Although my office was a shabby place, tourism department located a bit away from MP Nagar was a official destination of choice. It was one of the most cleaned and decorated government offices I had ever seen.

3 Kms to MP Nagar is the politicians wrestling station ...Vidhan Sabha of Madhya Pradesh . Also know as Vallabh Bhawan, its the place where all the ministers and beurocrats sit and enjoy life  (Hindi main jise kahte hain….KURSI TORNA). Near by this place is Vindhyachal Bhavan, another office of Beurocrats where I used to visit often.

Near my home was a area with temporary houses constructed by underprivileged strata of society. Sometimes, I used to pass by that road and I could feel a completely different world. Small houses with ladies cooking with wood gave it a village like feeling. The area was known as Aam Nagar. Few months after I shifted in my new home, Aam Nagar was demolished by government authorities.

I was told that a big residential project was under construction ahead of Aam Nagar. The builder was not finding right price of flats because of proximity to Aam Nagar. He had colluded with government authorities and with reasons like expansion of road , Aam Nagar was demolished. I felt bad but that’s how it works , the stronger always crushes the weaker.

There was another place near Aam Nagar, Ishwar Nagar where poor families used to stay. I thought this would be the next place to be demolished, but fortunately, it didn’t happened.

After few months of moving to my new home my wife shifted from puneto bhopal . I purchased a  bike and we started exploring Bhopal. We started going to Bittan Market for dinner and purchasing vegetables and groceries. Shahpura lake is anothercool places to chill in bhopal.  We also explored avenues like Mansarovar Complex, a shopping paradise in bhopal .

Bara Talab and Van Vihar are other attractive tourist destinations in bhopal.  BaraTalab is a boating destination of choice. Van Vihar is a open Zoo, kind of natural habitat for wild life animals.

“10 number market” was our favourite hangout place. Every now and then we used to eat, shop and enjoy at 10 number market.  Cycle Soup Wala was very famous shop for fast food. Most of the times it was crowded with customers and I had to fight hard to get our orders.Top and Town (Ice Cram Parlour) was also our favorite destinations. It was most famous ice cream parlours in bhopal. In the evening we used to roam around our home and started interacting with other families in the society.

During long weekends we visited places of interest around bhopal like Panchmarthi (Hill Station), Sanchi Sthoop  (Buddha’s Place) , Bhimbetka (beautiful and unpredictable caves) and Bhojpur (famous for largest Shivling in India).

My house owner was staying near Barkathulla University. He was a cool guy but used to brag a lot about his properties. Being in the proximity of university, his flats were in huge demand by student community.

I had a idea once of leaving my home and joining my colleagues staying in Paras Hermitage (company guest house) on hoshangabad road. With  amenities like Swimming Pool, Sona Bath and Club house, it was one of the best societies I had seen in Bhopal.

Fortunately, I found a short cut through railway line connecting my home with the guest house. This gave me room to shuttle to guest house for entertainment, whenever required.

I used to shuttle a lot from Bhopal to Pune. Habibganj station being closer to my home was preferred place to board the train. It was one of the cleanest railway stations I have ever seen in India.

During my last days in bhopal, Dainik Bhaskar inaugurated the much awaited DB Mall. It was first shopping mall in bhopal. It was huge, with 100′s of shops.  No had anticipated that anyone will build this kind of shopping paradigm in bhopal. Personally, I felt that consumerism is not prevalent in bhopal as anticipated by DB Mall.

Overall, I would like to get a opportunity to settle in bhopal forever.