Postcard from Churu

Yet,there’s more to Churu than what meets the weathered eye. Under the veil of modesty lies a boiling and parched town containing valuable personal histories of important families — merchant classes that developed trade from a town that was once known as “Ajmer se Kabul ka chauraha”.

The doors of Dr Bhanwar Singh Samaur’s house are open to anyone seeking to discover Churu. A local legend himself,Dr Samaur doesn’t waste any time on introductions before retelling Churu’s place in history.

According to him,the origin of the town goes back to the Mahabharata. Samaur,the elder,receives us in a room decorated with his history. Here he is joined by his son who supplies Samaur with related threads and dates. At five-minute intervals,the door opens,a head peeks in to add a fact. By the end of the hour,the room is complete with S,the elder,his son,two daughters and three grandchildren with only the wife wedged behind the mesh door. Dr Samaur’s biographical sketch of Churu reveals the importance of merchants and trade. The first trader families to venture out from Rajasthan came from Churu. The town is littered with havelis built by these business families — Oswal,Bhagwandas Bagla,Goenka,Poddar — families that have succeeded and settled elsewhere.

Thirty-six kilometer away from Churu,is the village of Dudhwa Khara. From the ramparts of the Nathani family seat,an old man waves at us vigorously. As we get closer,his waving gets more energetic. It’s not a welcome. It’s a get-off-my-property gesture. While we skulk around,the old man’s son appears. We persuade him to let us see the insides of the Nathani Haveli,saying that we’d read a lot on the internet about it. Reluctantly,he lets us in. There were three Nathani brothers — Hazarimal,Sagarlal and Rameshwar — then the viceroys of the region for the British. Three large havelis for each stand as desolate as the tijoris,Rangoon embossed trunks,four-poster beds,their personal histories settled with dust and time. Children from the village play cards outside and the caretaker knows precious little to show us around,comfortable in the white heat.

In Churu,the haveli du jour is Malji ka kamara. It’s perhaps the first haveli to have restoration work done to it and will soon open for the benefit of firang tourists. Behind tall fortified doors lies a depressingly restored haveli clad in coats of mint paint. The very thought that this could be Churu’s “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the beautiful and elderly” is grotesque. Grander schemes to develop family seats into heritage hotels in Churu have seen some talking but little action,thankfully.

In December,2011,Pratik Agarwala had visited Churu to retrace his family’s footnotes in history. Son of Jyotiprasad Agarwala,the famous Assamese playwright,he left behind a thank you note to Nagarsri Museum,Churu for all the information it provided. Nagarsri is a family run trust,surviving to keep the numerous personal histories of this town alive. The museum-cum-library-cum-haveli has a large collection of photographs of the families,handwritten account books of the city,artefacts from Kalibangan,Ganjifa cards,and a predominantly Hindi library. Of the few English books that survive,Scottish explorer T George Scott’s ominously titled Burma as it was,as it is and as it will be catches the curious eye — a reminder of the trade ties that extended from Churu all the way to Rangoon. Three volumes of guest books are filled with touching testimonies,like Pratik Agrawala’s,some to the trust’s efforts,and some simply to the discovery of this charming place.

As Geeta Samaur,the elder so rightly points out,Churu,in all its modesty,is a dwarf among Rajasthan’s historical destinations. It is a town that has benefited from the largesse of families that left its shores,but it has never bothered to preserve these family histories that give Churu its own story,and its own place in time. As the mercury docks another new high for the month of June,this modest town plods on slowly,almost safe in the comfort of heat and unaware of history.

Across the Churu district,the dusty landscape is dotted with medieval water conservation structures called joharas to collect and preserve rain water. Locals bring their flocks and 400 litre tanks to these joharas to collect drinking water. The depth of the joharas can go up to 60-70 feet. When water projects fail,these joharas have become a source of constant drinking water,albeit dependent on rainfall. Situated on the shifting sands of the Thar desert,the town is subject to extremes in weather. Despite the burning heat wave conditions,people of Churu have coped with the extremities,even the gadha rehdiwallas don’t mind the heat as much as the lack of work.

Fifty,sixty years ago,these donkey carts were used for transport. The earlier camel carts were replaced by donkey and horse carts. Grain,metal,bricks and people,any load upto a weight of five quintals,all hitched a ride on this quaint little cart called “minister ki gaadi”. These gadha rehdis run on “hawai jahaaz ke tyres”. Second-hand,but airplane tyres nonetheless. The tyres have been bought in auctions for many years at markets in Delhi by businessmen from Ladnun and stocked by shopkeepers in Churu for the rehdiwallas. These airplane tyres suit the terrain,give good value for money,have longevity and add more bite to the title of “minister ki gaadi”.

Still on the streets but no longer in vogue,these minister ki gaadis,like Churu itself,are fighting a tough battle to stay relevant. Upstaged by autos and not helped by the searing heat either,the 500 odd rehdiwallas in Churu have little work. Their days are numbered but they insist that their carts will always be plied,that their trade will continue as friendly shopkeepers call the rehdiwallas to cool their heels in the shade.