Major P, has received his posting. We leave in July to go live in Meerut, a small town in India close to New Delhi the capital of India.


1. It is the oldest army cantonment in India.Was set up by the British.

2. Home to the Sepia Mutiny 1857 revolution.

3. Has some of the best sweet shops in India.

4. Is an extremely modern town with many multiplexes, malls industries and businesses.

5. Meerut perhaps has the largest number of gun shops in India ( P.L. Sharma Road ). Until a few years back you could still purchase gunpowder and gunshot for use in muzzle.



An Account of the Opening of the Indian Mutiny at Meerut, 1857


Meerut is an old town and has a lot of history attached to it,especially military history. It seems that it has all facilites that are available in a city. But is according to population density and area a classified industrial town.

I have never lived in a town , so this new experience will allow me to learn more about North Indian culture as well, which has for long been labelled as loud, aggressive and materialistic. To a large extent this is true, history has shaped the behaviour and attitudes of the North people.

North India was largely under attack from the Greeks, Afghans, Mongols, Persians and other tribes of the North-West frontier. Hence most families boasted of male warriors, making women strong and independent incase of war. As time went of the wars were over and business flourished therfore making the warrior a rich man, but always living by aggressive war tactics. Nevertheless I have been the recepient of generosity and warm welcomes at many of these homes.

I realize that small towns have a culture very different from that of the metros. An important step would be to understand the mindset of the town people. I am looking forward to this, bridging the cultural gap. We've always been subject to the simpleton "Town" girl, and the catty "City" girl in the media. Eg: India Calling a serial of a small town girl working in a call centre. Let me see if this a true representation. I am interested in watching how my "identity" gets transformed but survives the stress.

I am looking forward to the Nauchandi Mela, which is held in, March every year.

Uttar Pradesh is hard to beat for the things it produces- Lucknow's chikankari; Ferozabad's glassware; Kanpur's leather; Varanasi's silk saris… the list is endless. And if you want a one-stop shop to buy them, come to the Nauchandi Mela in Meerut. A historic fair, more than a century old, Nauchandi is a month-long extravaganza of great shopping, good food, and UP at its noisy best. The Nauchandi Mela begins on the second Sunday after Holi This is when Meerut becomes much more than just a small satellite town of Delhi, and takes on a glitter and vivacity which is highly infectious.

The history behind the Nauchandi Mela is debatable; some say that it began as a cattle fair way back in 1672; others suggest a British revenue-collection fair as the precursor of the mela. Many Hindu devotees believe that it began as a religious festival to commemorate the building of a temple in Meerut by Mandodari, the wife of the demon king, Ravana.