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JHUMRI TILAYYA
INTRODUCTION
Fame comes for various reasons. If it is inspired by courage, the people are called brave. If it is inspired by knowledge, they are called wise.
But just how does one describe a sleepy town spilling into the Damodar valley in the state of Bihar, which has acquired fame by manipulating the jukebox?
Jhumri Tilayya needs no introduction to the average Hindi music listener. To the rest, whom time has separated from the mystique associated with this name, or those others who have not grown on a staple diet of Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar (playback singers of Bollywood), a story needs to be told.
HISTORY
The All India Radio broadcasts a listeners' choice programme called the Vividh Bharati. Even now it is popular, but in the days when the media explosion had not brought forth television or even the FM channels, it used to be the only programme to be broadcast for the masses' choice. Whether traveling in a crowded public transport under the hot sun, or walking under the shade of trees on the pavements; whether visiting somebody or hearing the background music playing in their house through noise transmitting walls; whichever city of India one went to, Vividh Bharati kept company.
Of course, one was thankful to the many who wrote in requesting for a particular song to be played in the programme. It is here that Jhumri Tilayya comes in. Every other request, in fact, sometimes every request on the programme would be from someone from Jhumri Tilayya.
In those days personal messages were not sent. It was just a request for a song that was sent across and Jhumri Tilayya sent in the maximum number. So much so that everyone tuned to Vividh Bharati knew of this name.
There were many who gave the same imaginary connotations to Jhumri Tilayya, much like Timbuktu. One thought it perhaps did not really exist. Imagination invested heavily in Jhumri Tilayya, from the gateway for a rebellious truant to the house of Jack and the Beanstalk.
TOURISTS ATTRACTIONS
About six kilometers from Koderma, and close to Bodh Gaya, Jhumri Tilayya was once major mica mining centre. Most of the mica used to be exported to the former USSR. With the break up of the country and even before that, with the discovery of a synthetic substitute, mica mining came to a halt some ten years ago.
When one looks around, there is a feeling of having slipped through Alice's hole in the ground. Huge mansions, majestic and sprawling over acres of land in the modest remote village, stand silent. Some are falling apart while others are locked and hold memories within. Some still live.
These mansions are the legacy of the mine owners. With the decline in business, some left their marble houses in stages of ruin, some let them out on rent, and some still visit them. The car parks, however, are the real indication of the come down of these mansions. Where there used to be Mercedes and Peugeots once, there now are piles of dry autumn leaves.
Working for these prosperous mine owners were the happy people of Jhumri Tilayya. In those golden times, one man began writing request letters to Vividh Bharati and soon the major pastime of this little cluster of people was sending out requests. Competitions amongst youngsters on who sent out the maximum requests in a day or month would be the topic of raging discussions at local tea stalls. Excitement used to be palpable in the air at the time of the program.
Gradually, however, the mines closed and lesser time was spent on hearing the romantic melodies. Even today, Jhumri Tilayya figures on the Vividh Bharati programmes, but not as prominently as those days of the glistening mica mines.
Other than music and mica, Jhumri Tilayya is also famous for its Sainik School (Army School) and a dam that has been constructed here as a part of the Damodar Valley Corporation.
HOW TO REACH
BY RAIL - The nearest railway station is at Koderma, six kilometers away, which is connected by several express trains to Delhi, Calcutta, and Bhubaneswar. Jhumri Tilayya is connected to Koderma with buses, jeeps, and three wheelers.
WHERE TO STAY
We offer excellent accommodation facilities in and around Jhumri Tilyya.
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Tourism-of-India.com provides complete information about tourism in Jhumri Tilyya. Tourism-of-India.com offers various tour packages to make you visit comfortable. You can pick the one that suits you most.
| Tourism-of-India.com Offers for Jhumri Tilyya |
| Package Tours | Yes |
| Other Accomodations | Yes |
| Porters | Yes |
| Guides | Yes |
| Escorts | Yes |
| Transport | Yes |
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