Day 11: Travelling from Kanpur: Leather city of India and Manchester of North India towards the Spiritual capital of India: Varanasi

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. 
Swami Vivekananda 

Continuing our marathon journey, Mentor On Road departed from Kanpur cruising smoothly on the Grand Trunk road towards Varanasi or Kashi, the City of Light or Lord Shiva’s city.

On the way, we passed by three major cities of significance with the first one being Fatehpur which in the Vedic era was known as "Antardesh", literally meaning the fertile area between two big rivers. Located on the banks of the sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna, Fatehpur has a small industrial base. The making of koras (whips) was an important industry of Fatehpur, till the opening years of the 20^th century.

Steel pipes, utensils, steel furniture, pulleys, weights and measures etc. are produced in different units located in the urban centers of Fatehpur district. Chemical and allied industries produce soap, tooth-powder, candles, wax and ink. Small scale industries of Fatehpur are engaged in the processing of paddy, wheat, arhar, gram, moong, masur, urd, sugar-cane and oil-seeds. Wooden furniture, beams, doors and windows for buildings are made at Fatehpur. Textile & leather industries play a major role in the district development of Fatehpur. In the agro industry, many cold storage plants in and around Fatehpur provide facilities to store potatoes, tomatoes, onions etc. 

The second city that we passed by was Allahabad. The city's original name – Prayaga, or "place of offerings" – comes from its position at the Sangam (union) of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Sarasvati rivers. 

Allahabad is home to glass and wire-based industries. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), is constructing a seven-million-tonnes-per-annum (MTPA) capacity refinery in Lohgara with an investment estimated at Rs. 62 billion.

Allahabad Bank, which began operations in 1865, Bharat Pumps & Compressors and A. H. Wheeler and Company have their headquarters in the city. Major corporates of Allahabad are Alstom, ITI Limited, Areva, BPCL, Dey's Medical, Food Corporation of India, Raymond Synthetics, Triveni Sheet Glass, Schneider Electric India Ltd, Triveni Electroplast, EMC Power Ltd, Steel Authority of India, HCL Technologies, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO), Vibgyor Laboratories, Geep Industries, Hindustan Cable, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Baidyanath Ayurved and Hindustan Laboratories.

The last city that we passed by was Mirzapur. The East India Company named this place as Mirzapore The word Mirzapur is derived from 'Mirza' which in turn is derived from the Persian term ‘Trip Kalchu’ which literally means "child of the ‘Amīr" or "child of the ruler".

Mirzapur is known for its carpet and brassware industries. The main business in Mirzapur is carpet manufacturing. Manufacturers range from very small (with less than $100,000 in assets) to medium-sized (with around $10M in assets). Most of the carpets are sold internationally as India has a limited market for carpets. The second main business is of brass metal pots.

On the way, we had a sumptuous lunch at a dhaba with hot paratha, vegetables and tea.

Travelling on the Grand Trunk road (Which covers a distance of over 2,500 kilometres) was quite a pleasant experience. The Grand Trunk road was built centuries back but is in such good conditions. Why can't we build such roads now ?

The Grand Trunk Road is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For more than two millennia, it has linked the eastern and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, connecting South Asia with Central Asia. It runs from Chittagong, Bangladesh to Howrah, West Bengal in India, running across Northern India into Lahore in Pakistan, further up to Kabul in Afghanistan. Its former names include UttaraPatha ("Road to North"), Shah Rah-e-Azam ("Great Road") or Sarak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sarak.

The route spanning the Grand Trunk (GT) road existed during the Maurya Empire, extending from the mouth of the Ganges to the north-western frontier of the Empire. The predecessor of the modern road was rebuilt by Sher Shah Suri, who renovated and extended the ancient Mauryan route in the 16th century. The road was considerably upgraded in the British period between 1833 and 1860.

The Grand Trunk Road continues to be one of the major arteries of India and Pakistan. The Indian section is part of the ambitious Golden Quadrilateral project. For over four centuries, the Grand Trunk Road has remained, in the words of author Rudyard Kipling: "such a river of life as nowhere else exists in the world."

Mentor On Road had an animated exchange of views on ground realities in Bhadohi near Varanasi which is incidentally represented as the MP (Member of the Parliament) by our Honorable PM of India Shri Narendrabhai Modi who is visiting tomorrow.

After an exhilarating journey we finally reached our destination - Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong. 
Swami Vivekananda