Atithi Devo Bhavah...

Recently I had a chance to visit Adalaj ni Vav near Ahmedabad during holidays of Janmashtami. To give brief about this place, the term ‘Adalaj ni Vav’ is gujarati word  which means ‘A step well of Adalaj’. It is a master piece of magnanimous Indian architecture of Ancient Indian era. Adalaj is small town located near by city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat –India. One can easily reach through Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway route by road within 30 minutes from Ahmedabad. This step well was built in 1499 A.D. by Queen Rudabai. It is said that following its construction (which took 15 years) the entire workforce was killed-off to prevent any rival ruler or realm from replicating its work. 

When I entered premises of this step well in 2010 I was astonished by its cleanliness!! My eyes could not believe that this is the same rotten place which I visited along with my friends during my College days way back in 2004-05.

This was the scene at same Adalaj ni Vav in 2004-05. Although stone carvings of the well impressed us but pile of garbage kept here and there inside and outside Step Well’s premises depressed us at the same time. Most of the tourists whoever had visited this place earlier had put their name with charcoal here and there on walls of the Well. Also so many wrappers of empty food packets and beverages were lying inside the premises. Ugly act of few idiotic people’s urge to make their name remembered forever by writing their names on walls was spoiling the marvellous beauty of the Well.

Why people do think that by writing their names on wall of historic monument they will become eternal? Or rather I believe that’s the only way those stupid people know to make count on their names. They lack any other skill to get noticed in people’s eye otherwise!! Whatever it may be but as a tourist to that magnificent historic place of India we were not at all happy to look all this ugliness.

But what a paradigm shift in 2010!!! Here I go again to the same place; to my surprise the premise out side the well was neatly cleaned and maintained. There was a decent garden made outside the well for people to rest and enjoy with family. Inside the well all those idiotic names and funny jokes were wiped out from each corner and wall.

There was only sheer beauty of stone carvings and architecture of the Well in front of my eyes. Being a Janmashtami holiday there were few tourists also inside the premises around 100 of them. But at no place I found single peace of waste garbage. People were calmly roaming around the place and enjoying the scenic beauty of the well. What a drastic and positive change in 5 years!! I was very happy to see at least one historic tourist place in India getting back to its glorious well deserved respect amongst tourist.

I know still there is much more left to be done like proper parking arrangements are not there or decent hotel/ restaurant facilities also absent. But still The step well premises and its internal beauty is well preserved now.. and I was so proud to look it in this shape…

While coming back I was thinking about this facelift of the Adalaj ni vav. How and who would have made this to happen. So many probable reasons came in my mind which may be driving force behind this paradigm shift.

1. May be it was due to recent visit of Amitabh Bachhan and his shoot for Gujarat tourism Advertisement. All employees of tourism department of Gujarat would have gone there and put their force in full fledge to clean this premises out and put it back to its previous glory. But I visited this place many days after that shooting happened and the gap of few days is enough to make that place dirty again with kind of inflow of local tourists it gets everyday…

2. May be it was due to Aamir khan’s Advertisement ‘Atithi Devo Bhavah’ for Tourism department of India. He has inspired common people in real sense and which has lead to generate awareness, respect and sensitivity towards our very own historic places amongst common man. http://www.incredibleindia.org/newsite/atithidevobhava.htm#3 
3. Or may be Generation Next of India our very own Youngistan has matured enough to exhibit self discipline to preserve such historic tourist places by them selves.

Whatever may be the reason but an avid tourist I would like to see such kind of paradigm shift at every place in all over India so that together we can make and vouch for ‘ATULYA BHARAT’. At the end I would like to share one link with you all which is created by Ministry of tourism http://www.atithi.org.in/. I really don’t know how effective it is but such a thought itself is driving us towards new beginning of the partnership of common people and government towards positive and Impressive India if we can really make it work and implement in true sense….