Markers and distances on the Grand Trunk Road

NH 91 road marker

Over the course of the journey, I find a number of markers that reappear day after day.  Small buildings and towns seem to line to road with good consistency- and farmland stretches out on either side.  Based upon the route's history, I expected to find towns and cities clustered along it with some regularity.  The concept of the "journey" or "journee" (one day's travel by foot) would lead me to think that the towns might appear every 20 kilometers, or with open areas between built up sections. 

The "English" liquor shop was a common site.

In reality, houses and small towns are more evenly dispersed.  With the development of the highway in the past several years, even more people have moved closer to the road.  There are occasional distance markers, which usually reference the next major city.  Overhead metal signs are more rare and distances seem approximate.  I spoke with several people who mentioned distances in kos, an ancient measurement of about 2 kilometers. The road's measurement has changed again and again, as has the speed at which it has been traveled.  What equated for one day's journey in the past has grown exponentially.  Actually, this isn't entirely true since I have seen plenty of ox or camel carts on the road moving at one a few kilometers per hour.  The drivers were often asleep in the cart, with the animal leading the way.

Toyota Innova and camel.

As I saw in France, large trees also mark the roadway.  These provide shade- and also have been allowed to grow uninterrupted because of their proximity to the road and not in the middle of viable farmland.  When I stopped to take walks, I could see these tall broad trees from a distance.

 
Every few hours of driving, I would see the remains of an accident.  More often than not, these involved "Leyland" or transport trucks .  The trucks travel day and night and several people mentioned the threat these trucks pose to other drivers or people along the road. I have been curious to talk with these drivers because of their frequent experience with the roads- they are the most frequent travelers, but also spend the least amount of time in a single place.

Accident on NH 91 involving Leyland.

Road drawing

Malawan, 230 km from Delhi

Temple in Malawan

In Malawan I stopped to collect interviews and do some sketches from the roadside.  A small white temple stood out, with its minarette decorated by reflective bits of enamel.  The town was up early in the morning and our interview about the Hindu temple quickly drew a crowd of people who seemed both curious and shy towards our questions of the road.  Several people corrected us and said this was the Sher Shah Suri Road. (Grand Trunk Road is the name given by the British during occupation).

Here are some quotes/interviews.

"It is being told that, one day, a groom’s marriage procession was going on this road. And due to some punishment by a god, they all become stones, also the food. This temple is made of those stones."

-        -  Pramod Singh and Ram Avtar, men, age 45 and 42

(Discussing road development) "Profit is there, what can be the loss? It’s like both are there, those thing s which give you profit also gives you loss. This is a necessity."

- B. Sibsebak Mishra, 55 year old man.

 

(Is the road is the same as it was in your childhood?) "Why this should be the same? (Is your business developing?) Nothing is happening, just happening well. (Has your business been affected?) Nothing, it is all the same, like a single ware.  There is only one pottery." (General laughter followed this response.)

--          “B.”,  potter, age 43

Barbershop in Malawan

 

Outside Malawan, road marker showing NH 91

Village Bhadwas

We spent a night with Bhai Tej Singh, the father of a friend from Delhi, in Village Bhadwas near Etah.  His family has lived in the area for generations and he has a powerful standing in the community as evidenced by the number of people coming and going from the house to seek his company and advice.  Mr. Singh gave us a tour of the area- pointing out several of the roadway’s original features as designed by Mughal Emperor Sher Shah Suri in the 16^th century.  Emperor Suri developed the road on top of an older trade route to connect his hometown Sasaram with Agra, the capital (it was later extended from Sonargaon, Bangadesh to Kabul, Afghanistan).  His innovations included sarais, or guest houses, which were built at regular intervals, as digging as water wells near the road.  The road facilitated the flow of people, trade goods, military units, and communication.

Bhai Tej Singh outside of his home with a neighborhood puppy.

Near Bhadwas, I stopped to take a look at one of the original sarais, a simple structure that has existed as a mosque for many years.  The local people were proud to show me the building.  

A sarai in Bhadwas dating from the 15th century, converted to mosque

Water pitchers at the sarai

Tracking down one of the original water wells proved harder as it was overgrown with brush.  Still, we found it, although it had been filled in some time ago.

An original well dug near to the GTR

That evening we talked about the road and the way it has changed the communities next to it.  Mr. Singh spoke in a supportive way about the improvements for the community vs. the way it existed 10 or 20 years ago.  From these first conversations, I was struck with how broad the topic of the Grand Trunk Road could be- and how this might complicate people’s personal connection to it.  While I was searching to record personal accounts, it seems the road tends to be a litmus test for issues like regional development, upward mobility, and even how people communicate with strangers.

"Though the traffic was so slow during my childhood, we were not allowed to go there because my father was afraid that may someone kill me. Even I was not allowed to ride bicycle to run over the road. In a broader sense, it was the fear of all the nearby villagers"

- Bhai Tej Singh, 50 year old man.

GTR near Bhadwas at dusk

Buffalo (note the child's shoe around its neck, as in "I'll put my shoe on you if you mess with my buffalo")

A statue of Dr. Ambedkar, writer of the Indian Constitution, in front of a village house

Stopping at Nanau, 152 km from Delhi

Delhi to Kanpur

For this trip, I had the opportunity to take a closer look at the first portion of the Grand Trunk Road. Geographically, there’s a slight difference in the older and newer highways from Delhi to Kanpur (about 1/3 the trip to Kolkatta or 429 km); National Highway (NH) 91 follows the ancient GTR and is the slower of the two, while the wider and faster NH 2 follows a southerly route which includes Agra. We took the northern route to stick with the GTR and also to gain a glimpse of what the modern highway, NH 2, might have looked like before it was expanded in the past 5 -10 years.  It was mostly 2 lanes with sections mired by giant potholes.  (Google maps claims the NH 91 route is faster than NH 2, but on the last trip it took me 8 hours to go 150 km on that road).  I also began to collect interviews with people near to the road with the help of Delhi artist Raj Mohanty.

Near the village of Nanau, I stopped to do a painting (152 km from Delhi, stop #3).  The road crosses a small river and after talking with people in the area, we discovered that although the main market is set back from the highway, that is where the original GTR passed. The new road (and bridge) are relatively recent additions.  Painting proved to be tough as a crowd gathered almost immediately.  But I was able to record some of the colors of the place.

Painting at Nanau

Here are some quotes from the interviews we collected on site.  

(Pointing at the old road through Nanau) “First, look the ‘kankar’ (red concrete), then the cement bond, then concrete. It was here and now its the bypass. (the shifted road).

-          - “A”, 68 year old man

“There was a water mill near this nala (canal). People came from distant villages to grind their wheat, to make bread in their houses. Now, all cities have electricity network so electric mills are there. Here, the mill was closed since the last 20 years.”

-          - Mahesh kumar, 49 year old man, schoolteacher.

“Every side of people go through this road.”

-        -   Ramdulari, 60 year old woman, waiting for a bus.

Guest artist talk at College of Art, Delhi

Today, I gave a talk at the College of Art, part of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi, after the generous invitation of Professor Jyotika Sehgal. It was a pleasure to share my past work and the on-going project on the Grand Trunk Road with students and faculty. As I announced, I am looking for students to do a paid internship with me. It would be a mentorship experience, where the student would assist in my work as well as create his or her own project.

Please contact me via email at gregorythielker@gmail.com with interest.

Beginning with the Grand Trunk Road

This week, I began my on-site work on the Grand Trunk Road. For this project, I will create a series of paintings along the overlap of the ancient Grant Trunk Road and modern Golden Quadrilateral Highway between Delhi and Kolkata. These images will represent the landscape now, as well as what remains from the past. The project will involve paintings done at regular intervals along the roadway. Narratives collected from locals and travelers will accompany the images to give a sense of how people experience this road in the present day.

Old iron bridge, Delhi side of the Yamuna River.

While National Highway 2 has become the defacto route southeast from Delhi, actually the GTR runs along NH 91 as it leaves the city. From the very start, it was obvious that this roadway has been in use for a long time. Here we can see the old iron bridge that crosses the Yamuna River. As my father-in-law observed, its like the George Washington Bridge because it has two levels, only instead of an upper & lower level for cars and buses, here the upper level is for trains, and the lower level is for cars, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, pedestrians, motorbikes, cows, etc. The riverbed is currently being used as a rickshaw depot and on the other side, as a site for digging out mounds of sand to be used in construction throughout Delhi.

The road is in poor shape, with large potholes requiring slalom style driving.


















At 76 km from Delhi. Here a temple seen on the right is being used as a police station and road block between Machkauli and Jalkhera.
















At 152 km. A bridge crosses the river adjacent to a small marketplace in Nanau.

Internet image flurry

A number of websites have recently posted images of my work and links to my website. I am amazed (and flattered) that the images spread so quickly and that much overlap exists between websites that feature popular culture, news reporting, and fine art. I've posted a few examples here, but as a google search reveals, there are many more.

Post on The Independent.













Post on Gawker.

Post on La Repubblica.

Arrival in India

I arrived in India in mid September to begin a year-long project that will chronicle the Grand Trunk Road (an ancient trade route similar to the Silk Road) as it exists today through paintings and audio interviews. It's already proving to be quite an adventure, as I came to Delhi with my family as well.

Here, I feel as though the roads change constantly- both because of the human traffic as well as the infrastructure updates. As one might imagine, there are positives and negatives to these shifts. I want to show how this is affecting the communities and individuals along this major route between Delhi and Kolkatta.

I'm grateful to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and the United States India Educational Foundation for making this project possible through a Fulbright-Nehru grant, and for Sanskriti Kendra for the residency fellowship where I have my studio.

Please check back for more updates.

Selected Norway Route Paintings

From the series Allemannsretten. These works are the result of my time in Norway: paintings that I began along the Gamle Strynfjellsveg road and finished in the studio.


















6 km Gamle Strynfjellsveg 2010 oil on aluminum 8 x 12 inches


















9 km Gamle Strynfjellsveg 2010 oil on aluminum 8 x 12 inches


















15 km Gamle Strynfjellsveg 2010 oil on aluminum 8 x 12 inches


















18 km Gamle Strynfjellsveg 2010 oil on aluminum 8 x 12 inches

En route: Painting along Norway's Tourist Routes

In June of 2010, I arrived in Norway to study and document the experience of driving along several roads that had been given the special title of Tourist Route. This designation signifies the natural beauty of the area and the presence of roadside viewpoints and contemporary architectural installations. My intention in visiting and painting along each route was to find a means to express my observations about the comprehensive experience of the roadways and the ways in which they shape our understanding of nature.

This project was supported through grants provided by the American Scandinavian Foundation and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC.


















Activities

June 8-9: Oslo. Visit with Even Smith Wergeland at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
June 9-13: Gamle Strynefjellsveg.
June 13- 16: Gamie Trollstigen.
June 17- 20: Sognefjell.
June 21 – 24: Oslo. Visit galleries. Meet with artist Lars Elling. Meet with Ministry of Culture officials Eva Vincent and Mette Michelsen.

















For several weeks, I drove a rental car along three routes in western Norway: Gamle Strynefjellsveg, Gamie Trollstigen, and Sognefjell. This region and the routes within it were selected after many discussions with researcher Janike Larsen, a member of the “Routes Roads and Landscapes” group at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design with which I was associated for this project. While in Oslo, I visited Even Smith Wergeland, a PhD candidate and another member of the “Routes” team. Even described how the designs for roadways in Norway have been produced through a combination of utopian schema and difficult natural geography, and this description proved to be applicable in my interpretation of the rural routes I traveled.

















While these roadways have always been functional routes for traveling from point A to point B, they have been recently re-imagined to facilitate the way that we experience nature. It was my hypothesis that our sense of a place happens not simply through a single viewpoint, like the many created along these routes, but through space, time, and motion. In other words, by traveling along the road, we gain a feeling about that environment and our place within it.

















My project was to divide the route into intervals and create a painting every 3 kilometers (10 paintings total) on lightweight aluminum. This method produced several interesting results. First, the experience of the roadway became more democratic; equal weight was given to different aspects of the roadway and surrounding environment. Second, the multiplicity of the series encouraged a compare / contrast evaluation between the panels. My preferred working time was between 8 pm and midnight when the long twilight created a palette of muted hues, soft gradations, and a narrow contrast range. At several points, mountains were first visible in the distance, and then rose in scale and proximity in the subsequent painting. Third, the working process of painting on-site provided a means for describing the details that I saw in each place. I also kept notebook with entries on the materials at each site, the duration of the visit, and conditions of the day.

























































Reflections

Before this project, my work mainly involved hyper-realistic paintings of views from within the car. By showing rain or reflections on the windshield, these images revealed a separation between the viewer and the outside world, a dynamic that never allowed the viewer to pass beyond a two-dimensional surface. With this project, I redirected many of my interests in how roads guide our experiences, but in a way that involved more of my own actions. As I worked on these paintings outdoors, often returning to a place over and over, I gained a responsibility and authorship over my visual descriptions. The paintings were an analysis of what and how I saw what was before me at that moment. If I were to return to the site a week or year later, the site would be subtly different, as would I. To use painting, as a form of documentation, both of the site and the artist, is a shift in my working method I hope to pursue further.