Trucks

If you find yourself at a loose end in Agartala, you could just take a rickshaw to the border crossing to Bangladesh. It is a busy place. A vendor from across the border tried to sell us jhalmuri, but was told by guards from both sides that he could not cross the border. Nor could we, so I cannot give you a comparison between Bangladeshi and Indian jhalmuri. Many others with permits could go across. Individuals came on one rickshaw, crossed the border on foot, and then took a different rickshaw on the other side.

Trucks crossed in both directions. I’m used to seeing the message “Horn OK Please” across the back of every truck I see on Indian roads. I found that the same message was carried by trucks from Bangladesh.

Another truck had a beautiful painting of an unidentifiable bird. We discussed this a bit, and thought that the aggressive posture, and the shape of the beak, meant that it was a raptor. Perhaps a hawk or an eagle.

But the winner was clearly this painting on the door of a truck parked off to one side. Here was a person with a large heart. I just love that bucket below to hold the dripping blood!