History Calling

For these unusual tourists,the biggest pull is the historical significance of the sites and the fascinating stories behind them. “I am a book addict. I have thousands of books,films and photographs about the two world wars,actually wars in general,” says Joglekar. “The WWI and WWII sites fascinate me. I get a strange feeling that I’ve known about them all along.”

Joglekar’s confidence and knowledge about the sites and the happenings of the wars have been fortified by the six earlier visits he has made to Germany. He recalls one particular visit he undertook with his wife. “The travel agent messed up the itinerary completely,and told us one day before that nothing could be done. We couldn’t cancel the trip,so ended up going and discovering things on our own,” he says.

He relates the visit to a secret home of Hitler with particular interest,because the local guides too are unaware of the history behind it,even if they know of the location. “Hitler had built this house,the road to which cut into a mountain. A solid brass lift inside would then go 15 storeys up through the mountain to reach the house. On top was a small tea room that he had used. The lift,by the way,is still in working condition,” says Joglekar.

Other facets of those times that have held Joglekar’s imagination captive are Hitler’s rallies,especially the ones held at Nuremberg. “They were colossal rallies,with lakhs of people standing in military precision in an area that was equivalent to 16 football fields,” he gushes. Many of the photographic evidence of his visits to these places and also pictures of research bits from books are up on his Facebook page. Such re-discovery trips have been possible because of the careful maintenance work done by the European governments. “They believe in preserving history and are very particular about it,” says Joglekar.

When his student,Hardik Shah,expressed a desire to visit the sites,Joglekar asked him to join him in this trip. Together,they will explore the sites,soaking in the historical significance of the places and documenting their current state. Joglekar has been conducting classes for IIT aspirants in the city for the past 20 years. While in Mumbai as a student and,for a period as an employee at the IIT,he would purchase books from footpath vendors. “That’s how I managed to collect original photographs of the Indian mutiny as well,” he says. A prized possession of his is his great great grandfather’s original employment letter issued by the British Raj and signed by Lord Elphinstone.