How to keep your table manners in a Graveyard
After bargaining with street vendors for souvenirs, roaming all afternoon in search of the perfect juttis and wiping out our packed dhokla-lunch at 11am, we could say it was time for a break! I was squinting at the 5pm sun shining through our AC Ola’s windows and then it happened….”GRRRRRRuuummble”….
That was my belly asking for fuel.
“Deee…. Aapko itniii bhook lagii hai?” Amy giggled – her dimples digging deep into her cherubic face. “Bas abhi paunchne hi waale hain…”
We finally reached the ancient masjid that we had decided to check out. Though our destination was off limits to women, we took our vantage points at the main gate armed with our cameras – watching the men line up and do the wazu before evening prayers. The golden rays of the setting sun were streaming through the delicate jaalis on the structure, projecting gorgeous designs on the masjid floors.
A few minutes in, my sister Suchi walked up to the maulvi asking for eatery suggestions around the place. He pointed an old wrinkly finger across the street – “Bahut puraani jagah hai…. Badhiya chai aur maska-pav milegi!!”
As we swigged creamy Irani chai and stuffed our faces with chutney-cheese-pav, my eyes scanned the unusual decor in the ancient restaurant. It was a dingy old place – a tree shooting right through the centre tearing the roof. There were rectangular boxes all around us, covered in green cloth with a sprinkling of fresh flowers and a little barricade around them.
“Yeh kaise boxes rakhe hain…” I wondered aloud.
“Dee …. I am 100% sure I have seen pictures of this place before…. I have read about it…” offered Amy, furiously Googling for details.
We wiped our plates clean and summoned the lanky waiter boy for the bill.
“Uhhh.. Ladies!!” Amy looked up from her phone eyes flashing… “So it seems that we just passed around maska pav & pudina chutney over DEAD PEOPLE. Those ‘boxes’ are graves and this more than 100 years old restaurant is sitting over a f***ing graveyard.”
“Shit! I was sooo… sure and I was right that I had read about this on Facebook” she offered as I gulped in horror at the boxes trying not to shower any of them in the bile rising up my throat.
Holy smokes! I had just officially eaten an entire sit-down meal in a 200-year-old graveyard! Have you ever had a weird meal or travel experiences? Share with me in the comments below…
P.S. The graveyard moment was totally akin to this brilliant one from 3 idiots! Courtesy: Ultra Bollywood –