Botswana's No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

A few weeks back when a teacher of mine recommended me to read some of Alexander Mccall Smith’s writings, I set out to look for a book which will be best for me to step into his oeuvre with. So, I picked his 1998 released novel, The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Precious Ramotswe’s intelligence and affability combined with McCall Smith’s witty narrative got me hooked so much that by the end of this book I was itching to read the next instalment of the series.

Set in Botswana, The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is one of its kind in the entire country. Following her father’s death, Mma Ramotswe used her inheritance to set up a detective agency because she unwaveringly believes that ‘women understand what’s happening. They are the ones with the eyes.’ Ramotswe along with her assistant Mma Makutsi and a small white van set out to solve cases and help people ‘solve the mysteries in their lives’. Though business starts off slow with small cases involving con men, embezzlers and rebellious kids, it does not take too long to pick up momentum as the perceptive and quick-witted Mma Ramotswe bags important and high-profile cases in her kitty. Through the tribulations of the ingenious cases, cups of bush tea and Mr JLB Matekoni remain as constant friends to Mma Ramotswe.

Precious Ramotswe with her easy and patient demeanour and a keen understanding of the human psyche comes across as a detective, au naturel. Her progressive and feminist ideals does not come in conflict with her traditional African values, compassion and grace. She is a patient feminist who puts an arrogant man in his place with her intelligence and sharp wit and her amicable disposition. Mma Ramotswe is a confident woman who is not only sure of her looks and her colour, but also of her self and her identity as a feminist. She is unlike the stereotyped sleuths who are endowed with atypical qualities, for her judgement is tempered with compassion and human understanding—the Moretsi case for instance.

If Mma Ramotswe’s character is instrumental in keeping the readers glued to the book, McCall Smith's
narrative is no less in making the novel such a success. The narrative’s inspection of human character, foibles and pressing issues of the society is deceptively covert by Smith’s lucid language and easy humour. McCall Smith let’s his protagonist use sly humour to cut through chauvinism, patriarchy and superstition. The narrative is interspersed with actions from Mma Ramotswe’s curiously interesting present and thoughtful ruminations from flashes of her painful past, thus, striking a delicate balance of wit and philosophy, of humour and pathos.

While some may dismiss McCall Smith’s handling of the pressing social issues as trivial, it is undeniable that his protagonist, nonetheless, comes across as a nosy realist who hesitates for no two seconds before plunging headlong to address such issues in her own capacity. The plot doesn’t follow the whoddunnit genre, nor does it involve sensational crimes, indomitable criminals or the maddening chases. McCall Smith’s novel relishes the slow-paced life of Gabarone, the challenges that form the kernel of the mundane, and studies the foibles of human character in a different light, unlike most detective novels. The novel, at best, stands out as a optimistic and humorous commentary on human life, character and society. 

Women and We

The issue of women’s liberation and empowerment has become a seminal topic in almost all discourses. The 20^th century has germinated the seeds of women’s cause that were sown a century or two back to full growth. Women gained suffrage, equal pay rights, reproductive rights, education and a lot more, and still a lot remains to be achieved.

                       
 We’ve come off our stereotyped roles, and we have been relentlessly trying to push the social margins further and further. For independent women like you and me, women’s empowerment and liberation is our cornerstone. So, every once in a while my girlfriends and I deliberate over such movements like ‘no-shave armpits’ and ‘free the nipple’, and join a few others to show our solidarity.

                        
 But then one day I met three middle-aged women on a trip to Agra. They were homemakers who enjoyed their dependence and loved to dominate the measured world of 2BHK. But now that their husbands have withered and children have moved out and need their care little, they decided to enjoy their lives travelling. This was their first trip alone and that they were nervous would be the least to say. I felt piteously sorry for them who have been now become useless to their children and husbands. I felt terribly sorry for them who had clipped their wings early on in their lives and had never ventured outside the protective male gaze. And so, while I pitied them, one of them caught my tone and remarked, ‘It is by choice that I am a homemaker. I chose to lead this life.’  Soon, I realized how horribly ignorant I was! I wondered how vainly liberated did I feel against my mother who chose a life for herself – to have a family and not to live alone in an unknown city for employment? How much powerful do the sons and husbands feel when they queue up a pre-paid taxi booth and ask the women to stand under shade with the luggage? These same women travelling alone does all of that and may be much more!

I realize how vain I was. My myopic vision prevented me from realizing that feminism is not in pitying women in a situation which you don’t find favourable. It is in realizing and acknowledging her choice, her will and above all her ability to lead her own life in her own terms. My mother is a homemaker and she chooses to spend her life travelling because it is what she wants to, not what she is left to do!

Four Women and an Ancient City

Our history makes for our present. There's nothing more enriching than taking a trip to a historical city that will help us reconnect with our country's and culture's roots. What’s another popular city, close to Delhi, that is historically and culturally as rich? You're thinking of Agra, right? So for a visit to a historical city, my friends and I did something courageous—we took an an all-women trip.

The best weather to visit Agra is early spring, for it gets a little too hot a little too quick, and also cools down to a chill and makes for very poor visibility. We didn't manage to visit in spring, so we chose early winter. The weather neither gnawed a cold bite nor scorched our skin.

Plenty of buses ply between Delhi and Agra throughout the year. Trains like Shatabdi also makes for a good comfortable travel. However, our last minute plans left us with little choice but to be the adventurous bus travellers. Armed with volvo bus tickets, four of us set out to explore the ancient city of Agra.

We took an early morning bus from Sarai Kale Khan ISBT. Crowd was decent, interior was clean, and most importantly the bus halted at proper stops. Clean washrooms and fresh food were available at the stops, as against our fears. Following a four-hour ride on the highway we reached Agra ISBT. Entering the city we saw nothing of the majestic grandeur that the city boasts of. All that we could see after reaching the city were the jostling crowd and wayward traffic. Perceive the city through time-tinted glasses and you will see the chaotic confluence of heritage, decadence and modernity.

Most of the hotels and resorts are located further away from the city. Tajganj and Fatehbad are the places to look out for, with hotels and resorts lining its sides. We had already booked ours from https://www.booking.com for ease on arrival. It's also advisable to rent a car to travel around the city, however, public transport like auto and electric rickshaw are available in plenty too.

Of the several ancient structures that stand to bear witness the height of Mughal architecture in Agra, the Agra Fort is one of them.

It is a complex of courts, palaces, gardens, pavilions and mosques. The fort is carved mostly in red sandstone, which is perfectly complimented by the marble palaces it houses within its confines.

The Agra Fort also happens to be the fort where Emperor Shah Jahan spent the last days of his life as a prisoner to his son, Aurangzeb. Guides flock the gates of the fort in plenty. The best way to avoid people from duping us for our gender is by taking the services of government appointed guides who have fixed rates for the services provided.

The holy city of Fatehpur is a must visit when in Agra. You will be swept away into the pages of history as you'll step through the grand city gate of Buland Darwaza. 

As the legend goes, it is believed that Emperor Akbar came here on foot to seek the blessings of Sufi mystic, Sheikh Salim Chisti, to have a son. Akbar’s prayers bore fruit and he built the city of Fatehpur to honour the Sufi saint. Within the inner walls of Fatehpur lie the Royal Mosque and the tomb of the Sufi saint. Pilgrims visit all round the year to offer prayers.

 The Taj Mahal has come to be eponymous of Agra. The magnificence of Taj looms large over Agra, to the extent of almost consuming Agra’s individual existence. It's magnificent grandeur is beyond words to describe.

 Vehicles leave you 2 km away from the Taj. Battery cars and camel carts are readily available to take you on pillion. Carry your id cards and buy your tickets if you want to take a closer look of this grand monument. Latticed gardens and pristine blue pools adorn the Taj like a foyer, as the monument rises from a red sandstone base. The double dome, the slender four minarets materialize in front of your eyes. As you enter the dark dome you see Persian verses decorate the walls and a marble inlaid enclosure, within whose vault lies the cenotaph of Mumtaz Mahal and the casket of Emperor Shah Jahan.

The architecturally exquisite Taj is much more than its twin ‘Bibi-ka-Maqbara’. At the end of it, you leave the Taj with wonder in your eyes and a mesmerising awe of having seen something so beautiful and so grand built to epitomise someone's death!

Now, when in Agra, peetha must not be missed. As word of mouth goes, peetha from Panchhi store is the best that Agra has. It is one of the oldest petha stores of Agra, established in 1926 and selling a large variety of pethas. From Angoori to Kesar, Panchhi petha is popular all over Agra, so much so that its duplicates criss-cross the market.

Agra, like Delhi, was the seat of Mughal governance and eminence. It's indigenous culture, architecture and heritage makes it a perfect city to know more about our royal past.