From Maharasthra to Madhya Pradesh (Sendhwa, Friday, December 5, 2003)
There is not a single truck around here without a sign on the rear side asking other drivers to horn - and when we crawled behind them all the way from Mumbai to the North-East, we definitely saw many more of these signs than we would have liked. We did not manage to make it to Indore as we originally planned and had to spend a night with Indore still some 150 kilometers away. It is not very safe to drive at night because of unlit cars, pedestrians and road conditions.
Travelling does not seem very safe during the day, either. Cars race and overtake each other very often, so that there are always two vehicles side by side in both directions. The landscape is marvellous with many Hindu temples scattered all over the countryside.
Yesterday I wrote that we were meeting people of various ethnic groups and religions. Today we met an orthodox Jainist, who was dressed only in air instead of wearing any clothes. It was easy to recognise him as he was jogging along the road in his "airy" outfit. (Jainism is a religion whose members practice ahinsa - non-violence or non-killing. The most orthodox Jainists lead an ascetic life, meditate and part with this world to the extent that they wear no clothes at all, or don't use any form (means) of transport apart from walking. This in order to minimise the possibility of killing a living creature)