I would normally place my scarf or sometimes a paper beneath my feet to shoot the streets of Ajmer as I walked barefeet and Ajmer can be really hot in April during the Urus time.
Beggars fascinated me , living in penury , the frugality of their meaningless existence .. did the beggars have dreams ..would they ever become rich overnight ,, and here I must tell you there was a beggar at Mahim who was a police informer and is now a flourishing businessman in the construction trade but than Ajmer is not Mumbai.. In Mumbai you have gods at every street corner .. but than one thought hit my mind if the Khadims and the residents and Rajasthan government wanted Ajmer could be the most modern pilgrimage city ..and I hope this is fulfilled when Ajmer becomes a Smart City ,,
During the Urus there is no vision foresight or planning ,,, the hardships the pilgrims face the laidback Indian Raiilways , the Ajmer Municipality all destroy the peaceful ethos of Ajmer .
Even around the Dargah , the dirt unhygienic conditions , the open loo people urinating and I have not seen a ladies toilet in this stretch.. I mean its time Ajmer is given a special status ,..it could be as holistic as the holy cities of Mecca and Medina .
But the will of the people in high places is lacking.. I live in Mumbai I only come during the Urus but the surroundings of abject surrender sadden me ..
I think if the rich moneyed Muslims built more vocational schools and less Madrsas there is hope for the Muslim poor ,, we need skilled workers artisans and not skull capped Mullahs ,,Beggars too can be rehabilitated, if the government and society come forward with positive plan and its holistic implementation.
