This week for our weekly segment of Travel Tales, Abhishek Banerjee takes us all through his recent visit to Pushkar.
SHIKHA DUGGAL
Our very own Telugu debutant, Abhishek Banerjee, was found shooting in a religious den filled with charm, some camels, and temples. Are your calculations on?Well! Let us reveal to you that Stree fame was in Pushkar recently and saw just the right places whenever on a day off. Grabbing hold of this chance, we telephoned him, and he was equally electrified to give us an understanding of his last shooting schedule.
“Pushkar was on my bucket list; I’d been wanting to go there for a long time, and look how the stars aligned for me. My next was being shot there! Without even visiting the town, I totally lost my head over it because of the tales that were being discussed about it every now and then around me. Some were talking over about the camel festival, some talking through how Holi is celebrated there. I was already so fascinated! The vibe of Banaras actually assured me of its presence. And, mind you, it’s not just about the “melas” and deserts; it has hill stations too. Wherever I can acquire knowledge of our historic culture, I can never turn down the offer. That’s just me,” he said.
Now, if he has spoken about Pushkar’s culture, he goes on to convolute, “I saw some cross-cultural situations there that beguiled me so much. What did I see? According to estimates, thirty families were married to Israelis! Another astonishing moment is that it encapsulates the only Brahma temple in the world. You’ll hear different legends and myths about it. You must be wondering, how come Israelis are settled in Pushkar? Unreal! They have a very famous Jewish worship place there also.”
Don’t just visit Pushkar for the temples; the actor talks of some Havelis too! Like, “Jaisalmer is the apt place to stay in a haveli, or as we say these days, the boutique resorts! I was shooting inside one. I have no idea how I always feel transported to history when there. Another interesting characteristic is that, just outside a basic tea stall, you’ll see everything written in Israeli in Rajasthan. That culture is so infused there. You’ll find hummus everywhere. Unbelievably, there are shacks too!”
Moreover, in this old city he witnessed, “The safaris in Rajasthan are juvenile safaris for me (he laughed out loud). The film I was shooting had action scenes, so I was driving the whole time in Pushkar! And we were living in a palace. There was an Italian boy there, and he took us to tiny cottages there. There were three dogs to protect us!”
He’s having a love affair! Oh, don’t be horrified. We mean to say Rashmi Rocket fame is having a love affair with the hills. In the coffee shops there, he finds enjoyment in chilly weather when not working for a movie. It’s like he’s loving the mountains, and they are loving him back!
He continued, “Arunachal Pradesh is my most favourite shooting location — shot Bhediya with Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon there. A green cover with transparent waters! We talk of foreign countries, I suggest you to visit the north-east and I am not going to stop here. Will explore all the seven sisters! We tried kayaking also.”
