Day in the life of fast food Dhabas in India

I was sitting on a charpoy at Tyagiji&rsquos dhaba at Gajraula. This was the place Antara Mali deserted to have a shot at Bollywood in Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon. I could see why. Sarabjeet Singh lathered his big brawny body with a conspicuous bar of red Lifebuoy at a tank near the dhaba. His khalassi had just finished with his bath but there was little he could do about his dirty mouth, &ldquoMain kya b*******, zara dal lagana.&rdquo The proprietor Choudhary Chetram or Tau sat on a charpoy in all his shirtless glory with a hookah. What woman could stand so much testosterone But where Gajraula lost out on its woman count, it made up in terms of tourists. During the Mahabharata era, we are told, Garhmukteshwar was part of the capital of Hastinapur state and was an important centre for trade. Kings usually halted for a dip in the Garh Ganga while their clamorous elephants were stationed in stables for feeding and cleaning. It is believed that this elephant stop came to be known as Gaj-raula or &lsquoelephant noise&rsquo. Today, the elephants have been replaced by burly drivers and their noisy trucks which guzzle as much fodder and disgorge an equal amount of tripe.