The Power of Green

I came to Hyderabad late 2003, and it was yesterday, 24 Feb, 2008, that I went to Golconda Fort for the first time! I’ve had people from my family in Kolkata come here and end in an eternal loop visiting the Fort and going back home, coming after six months and visiting it again and so on. However, somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to even think of spending time in an old broken fort.

‘What’s there to visit in an old fossilized fort for god’s sake?” was my eternal argument. By this time, I’m sure you’ve got the hint that I’ve been one of those numerous students who hated history as a subject at school, and traces of that hatred are still latent in me.

…were latent in me, until yesterday, that is.

Yesterday was another Sunday I was loitering at home. My fiancé suggested we go to Salarjung Museum. It’s a sudden love for moribund places that he seems interested in. Anyways, I shooed off the idea like dust in the wind.

Next, he suggested the zoo. My jaws dropped. Now there wait, wait..don’t get ideas about him. He is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met on earth! I shooed this one off too.

Then he suggested visiting the Golconda Fort. This time I just gave in without taxing my brain at all.

We left at 4:30 in the evening. Its around 15 kms from my place, and considering we didn’t know the way, losing ourselves in some god-forsaken place wouldn’t have surprised either of us.

Anyways, we reached in 30 mins flat! I was already aware from the numerous Golconda Fort sojourns of my family that they have some kind of gullible ‘sound and light show’ (note the order please, its sound and light, and don’t make a mistake of turning it around) for an evening audience. Exploration of the fort isn’t allowed after 5. And you may have already read that we reached at 5! Hah.. riding down 15 kms and this is what we get to hear from the seemingly Nepali security:

‘No Sir, no entry after 5. Only sound and light. Go get the tickets, 50 Rs per head. There’s the counter.’

‘But listen man.. we’ve come from far off just to see the fort, not sit for an hour to hear some sound and see some light,’ was my fiance’s argument.

‘What 15 kms? 15 kms would mean Miyapur, this pur, that pur… people are coming down from America, and you say 15 kms! Go away and come back tomorrow, come early morning,’ the guard told in the security-guard style.

I felt like whacking him right and left. ‘Your job may be just to stand at the gate 24/7, but we are like mad on weekdays…..Do you hear, you dumbnut?’ I wanted to scream out at him.

We had, in this mess, not noticed the numerous guards who had swarmed us like houseflies on a lump of jam. Out of the blue, one oldie, appearing from nowhere, told my fiancé to give the security guard a ‘Green 50 Rs bill,’ and we would be allowed in.

The security guard gave a knowing look of disbelief, a coy smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

Next minute, we were strolling happily within the fort.

Green works, you know! Are the environmentalists listening?

….read my upcoming blog on my reaction to the fort and its beauty….