I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue

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  Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Yesterday, I ventured tentatively away from the tranquil haven of Pushkar, and descended by bus into the bustling city of Ajmer. My purpose was to try and locate the Women's Mission Hospital, one of the places where Christian Maitland had worked during her time in India.  She had graduated as a doctor, and gained experience in obstetrics before joining the Scottish Women's Mission in Rajhastan.  And It was here, I think,  that a memorial bed was dedicated to her after she was lost at sea on the S.S. Persia.

I've been here before, in January. And I hated it. So much so, that after a day of tramping the length and breadth of Ajmer on foot, dodging the traffic and the agressive attentions of the men on the street, I turned tail and headed for the sanctuary of a four-star hotel in Pushkar, abandoning the rather most basic accommodation I had already paid for. I swore then that I would not come back, but here I am, less than a year later, having more or less the same experience.

But this time, or so I thought, I was armed with more information: a photograph of the hospital from the Journal of the Royal College of Nursing.   A proper clue?

  But after only an hour this time, I felt disorientated and overwhelmed yet again. The traffic and leering was too much, and I darted back to the Pushkar  bus stand in a rickshaw. Taking a chance, however, I asked someone on the bus about the hospital. Oh yes, he said, everyone knows this place. It's on the Sri Nagar road. Only 2.5km from here.  Another clue, I thought, feeling buoyed.  

With this new information, I hatched a new plan. Today I hired a driver, Vishnu, and after much discussion and consultation with the friendly staff at Seventh Heaven, we set off again for Ajmer. 

First stop was the ubiquitous church. the Robson Memorial Church, founded in 1862.

As for the hospital, Vishnu made a valiant effort to help me find it, driving around the city, stopping to ask help along the way. But to no avail.  The boy on the bus was just making conversation. He didn't have a clue where the hospital was. Certainly nowhere near the Sri Nagar Road.  We gave up on Ajmer, and headed instead for the neighbouring town of Nasirabad.

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