Amma goes to Ajanta
Updated On: 29 October, 2023 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Meenakshi Shedde
Amma readily agreed to the trip, trusting that Akku and I would sort out whatever needed to be sorted out.
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Illustration/Uday Mohite
A few months ago, Amma—Indu Shedde—who is 96— travelled to the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra. Whaaat? True, it’s not a place I would suggest for a nonagenarian’s holiday—there are a series of 30 caves with steep, narrow, stone steps, accessed via bridges across streams, with no wheelchair access; besides, it was the rainy season. But the wisdom of years has taught me to avoid arguing with my older sister Sarayu Kamat (Akku). She obviously had a plan; besides, it was her holiday treat for Amma and me. The Ajanta Caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, spectacular, rock-cut Buddhist caves that include statues, murals, chaityas (temple) and viharas (monastery), carved between the second century BCE, during the Satavahana Dynasty and fifth century CE, during the reign of the Vakatakas.
Amma readily agreed to the trip, trusting that Akku and I would sort out whatever needed to be sorted out. I had already taken her to Benares earlier this year. It was a “test drive” of sorts, in which I had made wheelchair arrangements for her for most places, and Amma exhibited a joyous enthusiasm—visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple, watching the Ganga aarti from a boat, hogging pyaaz kachori, aloo puri and jaleba with me, paan Benareswala and the divine mishrambu drink. Flatly refusing to nap in the searing afternoons, she insisted on schlepping to Sarnath with me, and accompanying me to see weavers weave magnificent Banarasi saris. It was as if with this one trip, she was making up for 20 years of barely leaving her room, in a tearing hurry. Likewise, Akku had set aside two days for the Ajanta Caves, but Amma adored them so much, and had so many questions for the guide, she wanted to visit it for one more day, so we extended the trip to three days. We had two experienced guides, mainly Shubha Khandekar and also Abdul Nasir Mohammadi.
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