In the month of December, I started using the local EMU services to commute to the office. The experiences have been fairly well chronicled in my blog and this post sums up my position after I switched to the train.
But from the 1st of this month, I have returned to my office bus. The reasons were manifold and primary amongst them were these 2:
1. I was reaching office at least 30-40 minutes later than what I am normally accustomed to. This in effect stretched my day and also, with an increasing frequency of calls starting at around 8 AM, it was getting difficult for me to board the later trains. Catching the earlier train actually meant that I had to leave home at around the same time that I used to leave while using the office bus. And factoring the wait times at the station, the time it takes after alighting and then boarding our company shuttle service and the time it takes for this shuttle to reach the office, I was easily wasting 30 minutes.
All these months, I didn't have much of an issue with that since I didn't have any early morning conference calls to take. But with few of my projects running out of the EST and CST of USA, I no longer have the luxury of escaping early morning calls.
2. Auto: While I did book an auto to take me to the station every morning for a fixed rate of Rs.80 per day, I didn't have any such luxury for the evening. This meant haggling every day with some punk who would first ask Rs.150 and would then settle for Rs.80! And the other aspect was that the morning dude was running up a big tab with me in terms of advance. This advance never depreciated below the 200 rupee mark and even now, the guy actually owes me some 300 bucks or so.
And then there was third factor of where I am going to be working from. I have to spend at least 1-2 days a week in the office closer to my home. And I would also have to spend 2-3 days a month in Hyderabad too.
So taking all things into consideration, I decided to try the bus option once again. So far, I have had no issues in the morning trips. I invariably sit alone and have shared the seat on only 2 days when my good friends came by that bus. But the evenings have been a different story. It is clear that unless I take the bus that leaves office at 5.20, I am going to spend 2 hours on the road minimum. But for the same reason, there are lot of people taking the 5.20 bus and if a bus is crowded then someone is going to be pressing against me. And with my luck, it is the biggest and sweatiest person on that route whose stop is at least 10 stops beyond mine.
Let me see how long this option is gonna continue.
Showing posts with label train. Show all posts
Showing posts with label train. Show all posts
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part Final
I am totally bored with writing this huge travelogue, especially because it is now almost a month since I had the vacation. I guess, I should have started writing this the day I returned, but unfortunately, I was swamped with work when I returned to the office and couldn’t get to this for some time.
But anyway, for the record:
Sunday 25th May –
Visited Somnathpur. Very old temple practically in ruins. Taken over by the ASI, it is a must see place for those interested in historic monuments, especially temples. The architecture inside the main temple is stunning. There is this representation of the various stages of the blooming of the vaazhai poo (flower of a plantain) in the ceiling and words and pictures cannot describe it. A very clear case of MUST SEE TO EXPERIENCE.
Monday 26th May –
Reached Madikeri the previous night. Monday morning was spent at Bhagamandala where there is a mini sangamam of Cauvery, some other stream and a mythological river as usual. A small peaceful place up in the hills and has a Kerala style temple nearby.
After Bhagamandala, it was then off to Tala Cauvery, which is considered to be the origin point for the river Cauvery. Strictly speaking, this small well which is depicted as the origin, may not be the real one. But for many many years now, it has been considered to be the starting point and so we will leave it at that. And all said and done, it is really difficult to trace the origin of a river, so we shall leave civilization to continue treating this point as the origin for the problems between Kannadigas and Tamizhs!
After a small break in the afternoon, we went to a place called Raja’s Seat. This is a small park and has a lot of benches on one end of it. We get to see a very good view of the valley from this place.
After this, we went to the Omkareshwara temple. This is again a small temple but a very neat one. It has a superb little water tank which has really fat fish roaming around. I took a picture of this water body with a small mandapam in the middle. I consider it to be one of my good photos because the lighting was good and also, I did some really good centering of that mandapam!
I think we retired for the day after doing some shopping for spices.
Tuesday 27th May –
The plan for the day was to go visit the tourist spots down-hill. We went to Dubare Elephant camp. Again, this is situated along the banks of Cauvery when it reaches the plains from the mountains. It is a very scenic place filled with rocks and the river flowing at fairly slow pace. Apparently the speed increases drastically after the monsoon sets in, but at the time we went, it was quite slow. As the name of the place contains the words “elephant camp”, one can see a lot of elephants albeit with mahouts. They give a bath to these elephants on the river bank and also allow the visitors to join the elephant bathing. My mother was a gleeful participant and scrubbed one elephant for a couple of minutes. We tried to go on the elephant ride, but unfortunately, these authorities said that the wait was going to be very long and so we had to skip it.
After spending a very pleasing and peaceful time there, we set off to the next spot called Nisargha Dhaama. It is basically a bamboo grove, again on the banks of the Cauvery. This place is quite peaceful and there is an elephant ride here too. The wait time was much less here and so was the time spent on the elephant. After the ride was completed, we fed cucumbers to the elephant and also to the deer in an enclosure nearby.
It was lunch time and once that was done, we took off to the Tibetan settlement nearby. These refugees (at least that’s how they started off in these parts of India) have established quite a big settlement. The main tourist attraction here is their monastery. I haven’t been to Tibet and would like to assume that this is how Tibetan monasteries would look like. These were very big structures and well painted in bright colors and a liberal sprinkling of gold – plating or paint. I don’t know. Inside one of these temples, are 3 statues plated in gold. Each of these is 58-60 feet tall and is for Lord Buddha and his principle disciples according to Tibetan beliefs. The walls of the temple feature a lot of painting that apparently depict a lot of Buddhist philosophy. All in all, it is another experience that gets classified under “different”.
Afterwards, we went back up the hill to see the Abbey falls. Abbey in the local tribal speak actually means waterfall and so in a way this was “waterfall waterfall”. The trek leading up to the falls is quite an interesting one. You are actually walking along a fenced path which has a lot of coffee plants on either side for a long stretch. After that, it is plain wild growth and features VERY tall trees and a lot of foliage that only a botanist or a local can identify. You get to hear a lot of insects buzzing too and I believe, there are many leeches of the blood sucking kind available in abundance. After this trek, you get to see a small but beautiful waterfall of probably 70 feet height. This is not one of those “bathing falls” and so I was able to enjoy watching the waterfall. We then called it a day since the trek really drained the energy left with my parents.
Wednesday 28th May –
We started off to Mysore and before reaching the station, had a very brief stopover at Nanjangud which is yet another old (but active) Shiva temple the visit was very brief because my mother got very paranoid about missing our train. So we rushed back to the main city, had a quick lunch at the other Dasaprakash and then reached the station with some 40 minutes to spare. We paid off the driver and gave him a good tip as well.
The Shatabdi train to Chennai from Mysore started on time. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their first trip on the Shatabdi. A point to note: there are juice packets/biscuit packets etc. that were given in the train, still lying inside my fridge!
So, this concludes my travelogue for the real vacation I took after many years. I returned to office on the 29th with full excitement and energy and had everything drained out barely 2 hours after I opened my mail box!
But anyway, for the record:
Sunday 25th May –
Visited Somnathpur. Very old temple practically in ruins. Taken over by the ASI, it is a must see place for those interested in historic monuments, especially temples. The architecture inside the main temple is stunning. There is this representation of the various stages of the blooming of the vaazhai poo (flower of a plantain) in the ceiling and words and pictures cannot describe it. A very clear case of MUST SEE TO EXPERIENCE.
Monday 26th May –
Reached Madikeri the previous night. Monday morning was spent at Bhagamandala where there is a mini sangamam of Cauvery, some other stream and a mythological river as usual. A small peaceful place up in the hills and has a Kerala style temple nearby.
After Bhagamandala, it was then off to Tala Cauvery, which is considered to be the origin point for the river Cauvery. Strictly speaking, this small well which is depicted as the origin, may not be the real one. But for many many years now, it has been considered to be the starting point and so we will leave it at that. And all said and done, it is really difficult to trace the origin of a river, so we shall leave civilization to continue treating this point as the origin for the problems between Kannadigas and Tamizhs!
After a small break in the afternoon, we went to a place called Raja’s Seat. This is a small park and has a lot of benches on one end of it. We get to see a very good view of the valley from this place.
After this, we went to the Omkareshwara temple. This is again a small temple but a very neat one. It has a superb little water tank which has really fat fish roaming around. I took a picture of this water body with a small mandapam in the middle. I consider it to be one of my good photos because the lighting was good and also, I did some really good centering of that mandapam!
I think we retired for the day after doing some shopping for spices.
Tuesday 27th May –
The plan for the day was to go visit the tourist spots down-hill. We went to Dubare Elephant camp. Again, this is situated along the banks of Cauvery when it reaches the plains from the mountains. It is a very scenic place filled with rocks and the river flowing at fairly slow pace. Apparently the speed increases drastically after the monsoon sets in, but at the time we went, it was quite slow. As the name of the place contains the words “elephant camp”, one can see a lot of elephants albeit with mahouts. They give a bath to these elephants on the river bank and also allow the visitors to join the elephant bathing. My mother was a gleeful participant and scrubbed one elephant for a couple of minutes. We tried to go on the elephant ride, but unfortunately, these authorities said that the wait was going to be very long and so we had to skip it.
After spending a very pleasing and peaceful time there, we set off to the next spot called Nisargha Dhaama. It is basically a bamboo grove, again on the banks of the Cauvery. This place is quite peaceful and there is an elephant ride here too. The wait time was much less here and so was the time spent on the elephant. After the ride was completed, we fed cucumbers to the elephant and also to the deer in an enclosure nearby.
It was lunch time and once that was done, we took off to the Tibetan settlement nearby. These refugees (at least that’s how they started off in these parts of India) have established quite a big settlement. The main tourist attraction here is their monastery. I haven’t been to Tibet and would like to assume that this is how Tibetan monasteries would look like. These were very big structures and well painted in bright colors and a liberal sprinkling of gold – plating or paint. I don’t know. Inside one of these temples, are 3 statues plated in gold. Each of these is 58-60 feet tall and is for Lord Buddha and his principle disciples according to Tibetan beliefs. The walls of the temple feature a lot of painting that apparently depict a lot of Buddhist philosophy. All in all, it is another experience that gets classified under “different”.
Afterwards, we went back up the hill to see the Abbey falls. Abbey in the local tribal speak actually means waterfall and so in a way this was “waterfall waterfall”. The trek leading up to the falls is quite an interesting one. You are actually walking along a fenced path which has a lot of coffee plants on either side for a long stretch. After that, it is plain wild growth and features VERY tall trees and a lot of foliage that only a botanist or a local can identify. You get to hear a lot of insects buzzing too and I believe, there are many leeches of the blood sucking kind available in abundance. After this trek, you get to see a small but beautiful waterfall of probably 70 feet height. This is not one of those “bathing falls” and so I was able to enjoy watching the waterfall. We then called it a day since the trek really drained the energy left with my parents.
Wednesday 28th May –
We started off to Mysore and before reaching the station, had a very brief stopover at Nanjangud which is yet another old (but active) Shiva temple the visit was very brief because my mother got very paranoid about missing our train. So we rushed back to the main city, had a quick lunch at the other Dasaprakash and then reached the station with some 40 minutes to spare. We paid off the driver and gave him a good tip as well.
The Shatabdi train to Chennai from Mysore started on time. My parents thoroughly enjoyed their first trip on the Shatabdi. A point to note: there are juice packets/biscuit packets etc. that were given in the train, still lying inside my fridge!
So, this concludes my travelogue for the real vacation I took after many years. I returned to office on the 29th with full excitement and energy and had everything drained out barely 2 hours after I opened my mail box!
Monday, June 09, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 2
The noise was basically the toothbrush falling out of my shirt pocket, bouncing on the footrest and taking the exit route out of the closet on to get in touch with the sleeper logs and pebbles on the railway track. The tube of toothpaste was probably inspired by this valiant act of the toothbrush and decided to take the jump out of my shirt pocket. Unlike its predecessor, however, it couldn’t make a smooth exit and landed between the footrest and the edge of the toilet. I had no choice but to nudge it towards its destination.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Feeling like a complete idiot first thing in the morning, I simply washed my face and returned to my seat. I narrated my sad story to my mother, who much like Abhishek’s mother (read the last portion of this post) gave me a quick admonishment on my irresponsible behavior and having at least the sense not to keep my phone/watch in that pocket (actually it was only my morning laziness that prevented me from taking my phone from the jeans and restore it to its usual position in the shirt pocket) and handed me her tube of toothpaste. My father remained a bemused spectator to the whole event. I then proceeded to brush my teeth using the loaned toothpaste and my own right index finger!
After this auspicious start to the day, I was eagerly looking forward to a refreshing cuppa. But for some vague reason, the coffee vendors seemed to have closed shop by 7 AM itself. My parents were of course waiting even more eagerly than I was for the same reason, but to no avail.
Not wanting to stay put in that coach and with an equally eager intent to wake up my friends, in case they were still sleeping, I walked over to their coach. I was disappointed on that count as well; since Mahendran was already wide awake when I checked his berth and Raji had also just woken up and was pondering about her next activity. The 3 of us then went out and stood near the exit doors to discuss our plans for the day. I think we actually made a clear order of the places to visit, but as history would record in its annals, we didn’t execute that plan to the letter, but we stuck to it in spirit.
We retreated back to the coach and finally found one of those omnipresent railway food vendors coming towards us with a can of coffee. We ordered our coffees and also ordered the local delicacy that was on offer – the Madur vadai, so-called because it is a vadai made in the town of Madur. It was strongly recommended by Raji with the claim that it was very tasty and very different. I don’t remember the exact details now because it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. But if I remember right, it is a flat vadai, like the ones you would find when a vadai maalai is saathufied on Lord Anjaneya. But the taste of the Madur vadai, was very unlike the aforementioned one. This one tasted a little bit like that, but also had a liberal dose of the medhu vadai taste, while also resembling its distant cousin the aamai vadai.
After I gulped down my coffee, I went back to my coach to check if my folks had had their share of the elixir. They had. By then, the train was nearing Mysore and we finally reached Mysore around 8.30 AM. As usual, before the train came to a complete halt, a swarm of porters rushing into the cabin. But this time around, I refused to avail the services of one and with the help of my parents, I managed to get the luggage on to the platform in one go.
We then bid farewell to Mahendran and Raji at the station since they were headed to the hostel in the office campus and we were headed towards the Jag Mohan Art Palace, since our hotel was located opposite this landmark. The plan was that, Mahendran and Raji would refresh themselves and come to my hotel with the car that Uthra had booked. Breakfast would in all probability have to be independent affairs to save time.
The hotel staff at the reception were quite a courteous lot but were apparently new to the concept of using computers. After spending 5 minutes with them, showing my internet booking voucher and explaining the type of room I’d booked, it was quite apparent that these folks were new to the hotel and not so experienced using computers. They took so much time that at one point, they suggested that we have our breakfast first and they would sort out the allocation of the correct room for me.
We were quite famished and warmed up to this suggestion. We moved on to the restaurant section and had our breakfast. The taste of the food there was quite unlike the standard Kannadiga food that people talk about – sweet sambhar and the likes. The sambhar here was actually spicy, but the size of their idly and vadai were matching local settings – these were real big ones. The food was okay in the overall sense and after paying the bill we were informed that the room was ready. One of the bellboys took our luggage in a cramped lift and insisted that the 3 of us also join him. When we got out at our floor, and followed the bellboy, we found the corridor to be quite narrow. After reaching the end of the corridor, the guy opened a room and let us inside. One look inside and it was clear that we had received a bad deal.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Mysore-Madikeri Vacation May 2008: Part 1
I went on a long vacation with my parents after nearly 4.5 years - the last one was in Jan 2004. This vacation was easily one of the best I've had with my parents. I got to see few sites of historic importance, sites of cultural significance and sites brimming with nature at its beautiful best.
However, I wouldn’t say that the tour started off on a correct note. You see, we had packed around 5 bags (including my backpack) and when we got out of the car at Chennai Central Railway Station (to board the Cauvery Express to Mysore at around 9 PM on the 23rd of May 2008), we were swamped by porters. I warded off a couple of them, but one old man stayed put. My parents somehow decided that they wouldn’t be able to get the luggage to the train. So much against my wishes, they hired this guy.
The old man was definitely a frail looking chap, but one who insisted on earning every rupee by working. I mean, he refused to let me take up even one piece of luggage and except my backpack he was carrying all the other pieces. I somehow felt extremely embarrassed having to make use of a porter and an old one at that, but I had no choice. He took the luggage right up the door of the carriage and even insisted on loading it inside. I decided to put a stop to the show at least at that point and took the luggage inside.
We were actually able to get tickets in the 3rd AC coach, though I was trying for 2nd AC. But the travel agent really screwed up the booking and net-net we got 2 side upper berths and 1 middle berth (for me!). I had planned to work out an exchange with some well meaning soul inside the compartment. Unfortunately, all such entities (if any in this World) were not in this coach.
Moreover, the coach was filled with kids and young mothers and it was very evident that the "ladies & childrens" factor would kick in and we would get nothing in turn. The worst part was that in the cubicle (is it called a cubicle?) where we were allotted seats, the lower berths were going to be occupied by a family of 3 with the youngest being a 15 year old girl and the oldest being a 40 year old guy. The parents were quite protective of their child and as someone who has experienced similar upbringing myself, I did feel a li’l sorry for that kid, but I digress.
In effect, I was unable to get a lower berth for my parents and my request to the TTE fell on deaf ears. So I let my father take the middle berth and my mother went up to one of the side upper berths. Before going to sleep, I just went to the 2nd AC coach where my friends Mahendran and Raji had their reservations. I guess the travel agent ensured that they got the 2nd AC since it was an official trip!
By the time I visited them around 10.15 PM, I found that the entire coach was already in slumber mode and my friends were no exceptions. I returned to my coach and by then the obnoxious little weeds (thank you Mathew Hayden) had sort of settled down. I went up to my berth and started trying to sleep. I say “trying” because, I couldn’t sleep for around 10 or 15 minutes due to the following reasons:
1. The yellow colored night lamp was strategically positioned to look into my eyes from a distance of 12-15 inches
2. I suddenly heard a voice from the lower berth, with the teeth gritting maternal tone that only mothers of boisterous kids possess, saying the words “Abhishek, ippo ozhunga thoonga poraya illaya?”
I finally managed to fall asleep, though I wouldn’t claim it being peaceful and uninterrupted. I woke up the next morning around 6.30 AM and the train had passed Bangalore by then. I also noticed that many people in the coach were up and my parents weren’t the exceptions either. So I got off the berth and took the toothpaste and brush from my backpack and went to the toilet to freshen up myself.
Once inside, I remembered that my jeans was actually quite long and to avoid it getting wet in the toilet, I bent down to fold the jeans around my ankle. That’s when I heard a minor clanking sound and there on the metal surface of the Indian Style closet was my...
However, I wouldn’t say that the tour started off on a correct note. You see, we had packed around 5 bags (including my backpack) and when we got out of the car at Chennai Central Railway Station (to board the Cauvery Express to Mysore at around 9 PM on the 23rd of May 2008), we were swamped by porters. I warded off a couple of them, but one old man stayed put. My parents somehow decided that they wouldn’t be able to get the luggage to the train. So much against my wishes, they hired this guy.
The old man was definitely a frail looking chap, but one who insisted on earning every rupee by working. I mean, he refused to let me take up even one piece of luggage and except my backpack he was carrying all the other pieces. I somehow felt extremely embarrassed having to make use of a porter and an old one at that, but I had no choice. He took the luggage right up the door of the carriage and even insisted on loading it inside. I decided to put a stop to the show at least at that point and took the luggage inside.
We were actually able to get tickets in the 3rd AC coach, though I was trying for 2nd AC. But the travel agent really screwed up the booking and net-net we got 2 side upper berths and 1 middle berth (for me!). I had planned to work out an exchange with some well meaning soul inside the compartment. Unfortunately, all such entities (if any in this World) were not in this coach.
Moreover, the coach was filled with kids and young mothers and it was very evident that the "ladies & childrens" factor would kick in and we would get nothing in turn. The worst part was that in the cubicle (is it called a cubicle?) where we were allotted seats, the lower berths were going to be occupied by a family of 3 with the youngest being a 15 year old girl and the oldest being a 40 year old guy. The parents were quite protective of their child and as someone who has experienced similar upbringing myself, I did feel a li’l sorry for that kid, but I digress.
In effect, I was unable to get a lower berth for my parents and my request to the TTE fell on deaf ears. So I let my father take the middle berth and my mother went up to one of the side upper berths. Before going to sleep, I just went to the 2nd AC coach where my friends Mahendran and Raji had their reservations. I guess the travel agent ensured that they got the 2nd AC since it was an official trip!
By the time I visited them around 10.15 PM, I found that the entire coach was already in slumber mode and my friends were no exceptions. I returned to my coach and by then the obnoxious little weeds (thank you Mathew Hayden) had sort of settled down. I went up to my berth and started trying to sleep. I say “trying” because, I couldn’t sleep for around 10 or 15 minutes due to the following reasons:
1. The yellow colored night lamp was strategically positioned to look into my eyes from a distance of 12-15 inches
2. I suddenly heard a voice from the lower berth, with the teeth gritting maternal tone that only mothers of boisterous kids possess, saying the words “Abhishek, ippo ozhunga thoonga poraya illaya?”
I finally managed to fall asleep, though I wouldn’t claim it being peaceful and uninterrupted. I woke up the next morning around 6.30 AM and the train had passed Bangalore by then. I also noticed that many people in the coach were up and my parents weren’t the exceptions either. So I got off the berth and took the toothpaste and brush from my backpack and went to the toilet to freshen up myself.
Once inside, I remembered that my jeans was actually quite long and to avoid it getting wet in the toilet, I bent down to fold the jeans around my ankle. That’s when I heard a minor clanking sound and there on the metal surface of the Indian Style closet was my...
Monday, February 25, 2008
My friendly friends
On the return from office today, Ramadurai, Raghavan and I traveled together. We boarded a coach at the front of the train and it was quite an empty one. We occupied seats that were in the west side of the train.
Ram was the first one to detrain and his station was to the east of the train. We had already exchanged quite a few “bye byes” and so, I was a little surprised to hear him call out my name. I looked around and spotted him near a window. I hope you remember the directional indicators I'd given earlier. This in effect meant that, Ram was calling me from one side of the coach to the other end where I was seated.
And at that point, it obviously attracted a couple of passenger's attention. Bored with reading a magazine and also with peeping into the magazine of their neighbors, some of these guys were looking askance at the 2 of us. Ram said some absolutely useless stuff which I am sure even he doesn't remember. I told Raghavan that the whole thing was like the scene when we give a sendoff to our near and dear at the railway station, when the train they have boarded starts moving towards its destinations 100s of Kms away. I even wondered aloud to Raghavan if Ram probably had the habit of waving aimlessly at a passing train hoping that someone inside would return that favor! I need to check this with Ram tomorrow.
Anyways, at the next stop, Raghavan gets down and behold my surprise, when he too came near the window and asked if he should get me some water or juice!!!! I am like, "huh". What? Am I really in an EMU headed from Paranur to Guindy or am I undertaking a journey to Guntur?
No doubt that both of them had very noble intentions, but the lady sitting in the seat closer to the window and who had the (mis)fortune to hear both of them, must have surely thought that I was one poor “ba lamb” make his first trip on the EMU!
Ram was the first one to detrain and his station was to the east of the train. We had already exchanged quite a few “bye byes” and so, I was a little surprised to hear him call out my name. I looked around and spotted him near a window. I hope you remember the directional indicators I'd given earlier. This in effect meant that, Ram was calling me from one side of the coach to the other end where I was seated.
And at that point, it obviously attracted a couple of passenger's attention. Bored with reading a magazine and also with peeping into the magazine of their neighbors, some of these guys were looking askance at the 2 of us. Ram said some absolutely useless stuff which I am sure even he doesn't remember. I told Raghavan that the whole thing was like the scene when we give a sendoff to our near and dear at the railway station, when the train they have boarded starts moving towards its destinations 100s of Kms away. I even wondered aloud to Raghavan if Ram probably had the habit of waving aimlessly at a passing train hoping that someone inside would return that favor! I need to check this with Ram tomorrow.
Anyways, at the next stop, Raghavan gets down and behold my surprise, when he too came near the window and asked if he should get me some water or juice!!!! I am like, "huh". What? Am I really in an EMU headed from Paranur to Guindy or am I undertaking a journey to Guntur?
No doubt that both of them had very noble intentions, but the lady sitting in the seat closer to the window and who had the (mis)fortune to hear both of them, must have surely thought that I was one poor “ba lamb” make his first trip on the EMU!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Characters in the train
In my train commute, I've come across quite a few characters. But from what I saw in the last week, the following blokes stand out:
1. The guy who boarded the train one stop after mine and took up the aisle seat in the row opposite mine (I had the window seat). He removed his shoes after 2 minutes. And since the train was empty, he stretched his legs on to the vacant aisle seat in my row. For the kind of stench that emanated from his feet, it is indeed a miracle that I didn't faint!
2. Another day, there was a guy who was actually singing throughout the trip. I am not talking about the beggars who board the train and sing for alms. This was a regular commuter who was singing the songs being fed directly into his tympanum from his iPod clone. Some might hum, but not this guy. He was really singing. And doing a bad job at that.
3. One morning, I was waiting for the train near my usual area on the platform - this is near a newspaper/magazine stall. There was a cleaning lady going about her business of sweeping the dust. She was getting close to the stall and so I moved further away to avoid the dust. But, there was a woman at the stall buying something. Once the transaction was completed, she decided to go her way. But there was this cleaning lady and the pile of dust that she was dragging along, directly in that woman's path. Anyone would have changed course, but not this lady. She preferred walking through that pile rather than deviate from her track. A likely candidate for some management opening.
4. There is always one couple (not the same couple) who are quite chummy inside the compartment. No "bad" activities per se, but they generally tend to be sharing one seat!
5. I travelled with a couple of friends 2 days back, in the general compartment. I noticed that some of the folks have a habit of buying any edible product that was sold. In fact, at one point, some of them had white channa sundal, onion samosa and peanuts - all procured from 3 different vendors.
6. Many people do not worry about travelling in the wrong class. I probably sound snobbish, but 8 out of 10 times, its easy to know which second class guy is travelling by first class. Early this week, I made a mental note of 2-3 such people in the crowd and promptly enough, there was a ticket checker who caught them and 2 more for this offence.
There are many more such entities and I plan to note down the same in these chronicles!
1. The guy who boarded the train one stop after mine and took up the aisle seat in the row opposite mine (I had the window seat). He removed his shoes after 2 minutes. And since the train was empty, he stretched his legs on to the vacant aisle seat in my row. For the kind of stench that emanated from his feet, it is indeed a miracle that I didn't faint!
2. Another day, there was a guy who was actually singing throughout the trip. I am not talking about the beggars who board the train and sing for alms. This was a regular commuter who was singing the songs being fed directly into his tympanum from his iPod clone. Some might hum, but not this guy. He was really singing. And doing a bad job at that.
3. One morning, I was waiting for the train near my usual area on the platform - this is near a newspaper/magazine stall. There was a cleaning lady going about her business of sweeping the dust. She was getting close to the stall and so I moved further away to avoid the dust. But, there was a woman at the stall buying something. Once the transaction was completed, she decided to go her way. But there was this cleaning lady and the pile of dust that she was dragging along, directly in that woman's path. Anyone would have changed course, but not this lady. She preferred walking through that pile rather than deviate from her track. A likely candidate for some management opening.
4. There is always one couple (not the same couple) who are quite chummy inside the compartment. No "bad" activities per se, but they generally tend to be sharing one seat!
5. I travelled with a couple of friends 2 days back, in the general compartment. I noticed that some of the folks have a habit of buying any edible product that was sold. In fact, at one point, some of them had white channa sundal, onion samosa and peanuts - all procured from 3 different vendors.
6. Many people do not worry about travelling in the wrong class. I probably sound snobbish, but 8 out of 10 times, its easy to know which second class guy is travelling by first class. Early this week, I made a mental note of 2-3 such people in the crowd and promptly enough, there was a ticket checker who caught them and 2 more for this offence.
There are many more such entities and I plan to note down the same in these chronicles!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Random Observation #031
I noticed that the EMUs (Electric Train for the less initiated) are all "left-hand drive" versions?
Does the driving position matter in trains?
Does the driving position matter in trains?
Friday, December 28, 2007
Train commute - Days 5 to 7
I used the train only from Wednesday this week, since I took my car out after a long time on Monday.
Looks like I am getting used to the train journey, because I don't have anything interesting of note any longer. Other than the stray drunken auto driver who took me on a tour around Jeevarathnam Nagar-Shanthi Colony-Damodarapuram-Besant Nagar and the 1000s of Mael Maruvathur devotees who boarded-alighted-re-boarded and re-alighted in a span of 20 seconds at one of the railway stations, life is now getting into a routine.
From my 2 week experience I can see a lot of benefits with the train. I am obviously not comparing it with a car ride and am limiting the comparison to a bus. Train is obviously proving to be more expensive, but that's mainly because I have to take an auto in the morning and evening. If I start using my bike, I can reduce that cost by nearly 70%. And in terms of travel time, it is longer in the morning mainly due to the travel involved to and from the station. Same is the case for the return trip. However, the return trip takes 2 hours which is a guaranteed constant.
And if I get a seat in the train, which I do more often than not, I find reading books to be much easier than while reading in a bus. Also, in a bus, the lighting would not be adequate in the evening, whereas in a train, there are lights everywhere in the compartment.
But MOST importantly, while travelling by train, I don't need to endure someone poking my ribs or encroaching upon my shoulder and forearm or rubbing against my waist, as it invariably happens in the bus. Even if the train is crowded, there are always few pockets of free space wherein nobody violates my personal space.
But having said all this, if my company does provide buses with only 4 seas in a row, I think it will be my choice hands down!
Looks like I am getting used to the train journey, because I don't have anything interesting of note any longer. Other than the stray drunken auto driver who took me on a tour around Jeevarathnam Nagar-Shanthi Colony-Damodarapuram-Besant Nagar and the 1000s of Mael Maruvathur devotees who boarded-alighted-re-boarded and re-alighted in a span of 20 seconds at one of the railway stations, life is now getting into a routine.
From my 2 week experience I can see a lot of benefits with the train. I am obviously not comparing it with a car ride and am limiting the comparison to a bus. Train is obviously proving to be more expensive, but that's mainly because I have to take an auto in the morning and evening. If I start using my bike, I can reduce that cost by nearly 70%. And in terms of travel time, it is longer in the morning mainly due to the travel involved to and from the station. Same is the case for the return trip. However, the return trip takes 2 hours which is a guaranteed constant.
And if I get a seat in the train, which I do more often than not, I find reading books to be much easier than while reading in a bus. Also, in a bus, the lighting would not be adequate in the evening, whereas in a train, there are lights everywhere in the compartment.
But MOST importantly, while travelling by train, I don't need to endure someone poking my ribs or encroaching upon my shoulder and forearm or rubbing against my waist, as it invariably happens in the bus. Even if the train is crowded, there are always few pockets of free space wherein nobody violates my personal space.
But having said all this, if my company does provide buses with only 4 seas in a row, I think it will be my choice hands down!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Train commute - Day 4
I didn't go to office yesterday and so the Day 4 got pushed to today.
Technically I was on leave yesterday, but still had so many phone calls to attend and emails to respond, that I knew full well that today was going to be a busy day. So I decided to start earlier than usual and was at the station some 20 minutes before usual.
Just as I was climbing the stairs I saw a train chugging in. It was not an EMU and it was on a different platform than the one where the EMUs usually stop. So, I went to the usual platform and asked the guy at the newspaper stall as to when the next train to my place would arrive.
He said it would be 10 minutes before the next train comes, but in stead of that I could board the train that was there at the platform past this one. And he added that if I run right now, I could catch it.
I seriously don't know if he was making fun of me or if he really thought that a Maurice Green was hidden in the person he was talking to. I mean, the whole running involved going up a flight of stairs (you know how big they are in Railway Stations in India), then sprinting across some 20-30 feet amidst people going everywhere and then running down another flight of stairs. And after I do all this and find the train moving, I would have to run along the train and try to board it, like the heroes do in movies.
Since I am not in a movie (note how I didn't say I am not a hero), I decided not to strain myself. Mercifully, that train anyway started some 20-30 seconds after I had the conversation with that newspaper vendor. Anyways, the EMU came along on time and I got inside a really vacant I Class compartment. Got me a good corner seat (sitting with my back to the engine) and then I started reading some study material for the technical exam I have to take in the office next week.
The return trip was equally peaceful. I boarded the train some 30 minutes later than usual, but since it was late - 7.15 PM - the compartment was empty. I also had a friend from work for company.
After alighting at Guindy, I managed to get hold of an auto driver who agreed to come to Besant Nagar for 75 bucks. The best part was that I didn't have to bargain at all. I asked him the rate and he said 75. Just to put a moral show of dissidence, I wore a reluctant face, gave out a sigh and then boarded the auto. Since he quoted a near normal rate before bargaining itself, I think he was probably drunk and was not aware of what he was saying.
The bad part of today's commute was that the I Class seats were not that good. They were quite dirty actually. The coaches that I boarded both times were definitely ones that were first used some 10 years back. Definitely not worth the money that is being charged.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 90.00 (solo)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 0.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 0.00
Auto evening : Rs. 75.00 (solo)
Technically I was on leave yesterday, but still had so many phone calls to attend and emails to respond, that I knew full well that today was going to be a busy day. So I decided to start earlier than usual and was at the station some 20 minutes before usual.
Just as I was climbing the stairs I saw a train chugging in. It was not an EMU and it was on a different platform than the one where the EMUs usually stop. So, I went to the usual platform and asked the guy at the newspaper stall as to when the next train to my place would arrive.
He said it would be 10 minutes before the next train comes, but in stead of that I could board the train that was there at the platform past this one. And he added that if I run right now, I could catch it.
I seriously don't know if he was making fun of me or if he really thought that a Maurice Green was hidden in the person he was talking to. I mean, the whole running involved going up a flight of stairs (you know how big they are in Railway Stations in India), then sprinting across some 20-30 feet amidst people going everywhere and then running down another flight of stairs. And after I do all this and find the train moving, I would have to run along the train and try to board it, like the heroes do in movies.
Since I am not in a movie (note how I didn't say I am not a hero), I decided not to strain myself. Mercifully, that train anyway started some 20-30 seconds after I had the conversation with that newspaper vendor. Anyways, the EMU came along on time and I got inside a really vacant I Class compartment. Got me a good corner seat (sitting with my back to the engine) and then I started reading some study material for the technical exam I have to take in the office next week.
The return trip was equally peaceful. I boarded the train some 30 minutes later than usual, but since it was late - 7.15 PM - the compartment was empty. I also had a friend from work for company.
After alighting at Guindy, I managed to get hold of an auto driver who agreed to come to Besant Nagar for 75 bucks. The best part was that I didn't have to bargain at all. I asked him the rate and he said 75. Just to put a moral show of dissidence, I wore a reluctant face, gave out a sigh and then boarded the auto. Since he quoted a near normal rate before bargaining itself, I think he was probably drunk and was not aware of what he was saying.
The bad part of today's commute was that the I Class seats were not that good. They were quite dirty actually. The coaches that I boarded both times were definitely ones that were first used some 10 years back. Definitely not worth the money that is being charged.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 90.00 (solo)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 0.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 0.00
Auto evening : Rs. 75.00 (solo)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Train commute - Day 3
I got my month pass for the train this morning. The interesting point to note was the way the id card was issued. The guy at the counter asked me for a passport size photo. I gave him one. He took an empty card and placed - not pasted or affixed, just placed - the photo at the designated area on the card. He then took out a seal and placed a mark spanning the photo and the card. He then issued me the month's ticket and pushed all the 3 (id card, photo and the ticket) to me and asked me to verify them. The onus is now on me to affix the photo on the card such that the seal on the photo is properly aligned with the seal on the card.
I guess I am already used to the train now, coz I don't find anything interesting to note.
The return trip was a whole different story. It was pouring cats and dogs and a whole lot of other domesticated animals. The rain was accompanied by strong winds too. So much so, that the roads within my office campus were inundated and we actually had to cross small stretches with ankle deep water.
Once we reached the station, we were greeted with absolute darkness. There was no electricity whatsoever and the guy at the ticket counter was actually issuing tickets with the background light of his mobile!
Considering that it was raining like crazy, there was a delay in the arrival of the train and finally one came along. I had to catch up with another friend of mine, but unfortunately, he didn't have a I Class pass. So, I went along with him in the general compartment and luckily enough, both of us got seats within 2-3 stops.
After getting down at Guindy, we were lucky enough to get an auto. Actually, while we were flagging down an auto which stopped near us, we saw that a coupe of people got out of it. We were bargaining with this driver who said that he wouldn't mind taking us along, but he already had a "savari". Even as we were backing up, the "savari" told us that she has no objection in sharing the auto, since she has to get down at Kasturiba Nagar. Considering the rain and the bulbs we already got from couple of autos, we took the offer.
I had to travel the leg from Indra Nagar to my place alone. So I chatted up with the auto driver and asked him if he'd seen Oram Po. Apparently, he hadn't. I anyway asked him if the whole auto racing was indeed true. He said that it did take place, albeit on a purely illegal basis. He gave a crisp summary of what it involved and it pretty much looked just like what came up in Oram Po.
Anyways, a thing that I noticed with the steps in the Guindy subway is that, the steps are designed for the Chinese women of yore, who used to have their feet tied up to keep them small. The steps are really narrow and I don't feel too comfortable climbing it.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 60.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 620.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 0.00
Auto evening : Rs. 50.00 (shared)
I guess I am already used to the train now, coz I don't find anything interesting to note.
The return trip was a whole different story. It was pouring cats and dogs and a whole lot of other domesticated animals. The rain was accompanied by strong winds too. So much so, that the roads within my office campus were inundated and we actually had to cross small stretches with ankle deep water.
Once we reached the station, we were greeted with absolute darkness. There was no electricity whatsoever and the guy at the ticket counter was actually issuing tickets with the background light of his mobile!
Considering that it was raining like crazy, there was a delay in the arrival of the train and finally one came along. I had to catch up with another friend of mine, but unfortunately, he didn't have a I Class pass. So, I went along with him in the general compartment and luckily enough, both of us got seats within 2-3 stops.
After getting down at Guindy, we were lucky enough to get an auto. Actually, while we were flagging down an auto which stopped near us, we saw that a coupe of people got out of it. We were bargaining with this driver who said that he wouldn't mind taking us along, but he already had a "savari". Even as we were backing up, the "savari" told us that she has no objection in sharing the auto, since she has to get down at Kasturiba Nagar. Considering the rain and the bulbs we already got from couple of autos, we took the offer.
I had to travel the leg from Indra Nagar to my place alone. So I chatted up with the auto driver and asked him if he'd seen Oram Po. Apparently, he hadn't. I anyway asked him if the whole auto racing was indeed true. He said that it did take place, albeit on a purely illegal basis. He gave a crisp summary of what it involved and it pretty much looked just like what came up in Oram Po.
Anyways, a thing that I noticed with the steps in the Guindy subway is that, the steps are designed for the Chinese women of yore, who used to have their feet tied up to keep them small. The steps are really narrow and I don't feel too comfortable climbing it.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 60.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 620.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 0.00
Auto evening : Rs. 50.00 (shared)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Train commute - Day 2
Today's morning commute was in the I Class compartment. You will not believe how much expensive the ticket is. The II Class for that distance costs me Rs.10 and the same in I Class is Rs.108!!!
The only good thing is that the monthly pass for I Class is Rs.620. So it makes absolute sense to buy the monthly pass and even if you make 6 trips, you have like broken even. :)
Anyways, we got seats after we boarded the train. Also the compartment was relatively free of standing passengers right through the trip. The only problem was that a couple of seats had a leaky roof above them. And the seats near the main entrance were subjected to occasional showers getting blown in.
Otherwise compared to yesterday's ordeal in the morning, this morning's trip was a breeze. After we alighted at our destination, we went to the booking counter and asked the guy there to give us 2 I Class tickets. At that time, we didn't calculate the season pass rates that much and decided to buy the one way ticket itself.
The guy at the counter gave us what looked like a shocked expression coupled with utter disbelief that someone would ask for a I Class ticket for one time use. The look was well rounded off with an expression that also indicated that he considered us slightly low on intellect. Anyways, the guy simply told us that he didn't have one way tickets since not many buy those tickets at that station. He said he could issue us a pass and nothing else. We had no option and so we got the II Class return tickets.
The return trip was more exciting. We boarded the train with barely a few seconds to spare. The evening one was not the normal EMU. It was a regular express train, just that since it runs between Chennai and Pondy (and back), it has more stops. Luckily we all got seats and so the journey was comfortable.
We got down at Guindy. Like last evening, I let the ladies handle the auto position. They in fact went one step ahead of my expectation and booked a share auto with the condition to the driver that he should take only the 3 of us. We agreed to pay him Rs.70 and the drop would cover all our houses - at least street end. It was an awesome move and something that I wouldn't have dared to even broach to an auto driver.
After today's trip it is very clear that I will be able to continue with the train only if I come by I Class. So I am planning to get the season ticket tomorrow.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 45.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 108.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 7.00
Auto evening : Rs. 20.00 (shared)
Total = Rs. 180.00
The only good thing is that the monthly pass for I Class is Rs.620. So it makes absolute sense to buy the monthly pass and even if you make 6 trips, you have like broken even. :)
Anyways, we got seats after we boarded the train. Also the compartment was relatively free of standing passengers right through the trip. The only problem was that a couple of seats had a leaky roof above them. And the seats near the main entrance were subjected to occasional showers getting blown in.
Otherwise compared to yesterday's ordeal in the morning, this morning's trip was a breeze. After we alighted at our destination, we went to the booking counter and asked the guy there to give us 2 I Class tickets. At that time, we didn't calculate the season pass rates that much and decided to buy the one way ticket itself.
The guy at the counter gave us what looked like a shocked expression coupled with utter disbelief that someone would ask for a I Class ticket for one time use. The look was well rounded off with an expression that also indicated that he considered us slightly low on intellect. Anyways, the guy simply told us that he didn't have one way tickets since not many buy those tickets at that station. He said he could issue us a pass and nothing else. We had no option and so we got the II Class return tickets.
The return trip was more exciting. We boarded the train with barely a few seconds to spare. The evening one was not the normal EMU. It was a regular express train, just that since it runs between Chennai and Pondy (and back), it has more stops. Luckily we all got seats and so the journey was comfortable.
We got down at Guindy. Like last evening, I let the ladies handle the auto position. They in fact went one step ahead of my expectation and booked a share auto with the condition to the driver that he should take only the 3 of us. We agreed to pay him Rs.70 and the drop would cover all our houses - at least street end. It was an awesome move and something that I wouldn't have dared to even broach to an auto driver.
After today's trip it is very clear that I will be able to continue with the train only if I come by I Class. So I am planning to get the season ticket tomorrow.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 45.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 108.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 7.00
Auto evening : Rs. 20.00 (shared)
Total = Rs. 180.00
Monday, December 17, 2007
Train commute - Day 1
First things first, I must pat myself in the back for actually getting up early and managing to leave the house at a reasonable hour. I am not to be confused at any level with a morning person and so the 15 minutes I sacrificed in the morning is really intangible.
Anywhoo, I started out at around 6.55 and went to the main road to catch an auto. With my expert bargaining skills, a rate of Rs.90 was fixed. When I picked up my friend on the way, she clearly told me that it was like 20-30 bucks more than the current market rate. What really irked me more was the fact that the seats in the auto were quite torn and the apparition called the meter was skinned and the PCB was visible. I should have taken up my friend's offer of having her husband drop us at the station!
After we reached the station, we got the II Class tickets to our destination. We went to the platform and were greeted by the arrival of a train within a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, this one was going to stop at Tambaram, which meant that we would have had to alight and board the correct train from another platform. So we decided to wait for the next one scheduled to arrive in 10 minutes.
Frequent users of the EMU service would be aware of various signs on the platform which indicate where special compartments like I Class and the ones for Ladies would come up. We were actually standing near a sign that said Ladies. So my friend and I moved a bit farther down, hoping we would have a normal compartment stop in front of us.
But the driver who brought along that next train, had different ideas. I think he overshot his position and when the train stopped the ladies compartment was right in front of us. We also realised that the train was generally crowded and we had to board somewhere quickly. I asked my friend to board the Ladies compartment and I would go ahead with the next general one. But she decided to give me company and we headed to the general compartment.
Since we were running short of time, we decided to quickly board the first entrance we saw. As luck would have it, we entered the Vendors section. Even before we saw anything, there was this whiff of fresh air, I am sorry, fish air, that hit us. The bloody rake was filled with the morning's catch of all sorts of fish and the whole place STANK. I was actually afraid that I would lose all sense of smell henceforth and that I would start smelling like one and attract the attention of dogs and cats in my vicinity. So, at the 3rd station, we got out and boarded the next entrance.
This compartment too was quite smelly with BO, but in perspective, I felt like I had entered a lavender garden. While standing, I did experience quite a lot of pushing and shoving for people to move from place to place. Also, there was this constant feeling that someone was staring at me from close quarters and more often than not, my peripheral vision seemed to justify it.
We got seats after a few more stations and after that the travel was quite manageable. After we reached our destination, we got the return tickets as well, so that we wouldn't have to stand at the ticket counter that evening and considering the downpour in the evening, it was a brilliant move.
The evening trip started off quite auspiciously with a cloudy sky becoming a rainy sky during the time it took me to buy a pack of Good Day biscuits and a bar of Coffee Bite. I also got a broken umbrella in the Food Court and it practically ensured that I got wetter than would have been the case if I didn't have an umbrella.
The 10 minute wait at the platform was also a fairly wet one. Luckily a couple of more friends and an indirect boss of mine were all together and so the 10 minutes went by in just 600 seconds.
Once the train approached, all of us took up strategic positions and boarded the compartment nearest to us. Lo behold, this one was crowded already and we could only stand! The regular and frequent users were very perplexed with the situation and attributed it to "visitors" like me.
We were joined in the compartment by a group of migrant workers. One of the guys was in a totally wasted condition and actually smelt of varnish! He started smoking a beedi and when reprimanded, started hollering about the rich and poor and what not. Due to his inebriated state, none of what he said was coherent. Luckily, wiser counsel prevailed from his more sober wife who quietened him down.
But, I didn't get a seat for the whole trip and if it were not for the company I had, it would have been quite a boring trip. After we alighted at Guindy, my friends and I came out and booked an auto. Since they had better bargaining skills than yours truly, they managed to catch hold of an auto for Rs70 and the trip included a drop at Indra Nagar en route to Besant Nagar!
Tomorrow, I am going to travel by First Class at least one way and see how that section is going to impact my travel experience.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 45.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 7.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 7.00
Auto evening : Rs. 30.00 (shared)
Total = Rs. 89.00
Anywhoo, I started out at around 6.55 and went to the main road to catch an auto. With my expert bargaining skills, a rate of Rs.90 was fixed. When I picked up my friend on the way, she clearly told me that it was like 20-30 bucks more than the current market rate. What really irked me more was the fact that the seats in the auto were quite torn and the apparition called the meter was skinned and the PCB was visible. I should have taken up my friend's offer of having her husband drop us at the station!
After we reached the station, we got the II Class tickets to our destination. We went to the platform and were greeted by the arrival of a train within a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, this one was going to stop at Tambaram, which meant that we would have had to alight and board the correct train from another platform. So we decided to wait for the next one scheduled to arrive in 10 minutes.
Frequent users of the EMU service would be aware of various signs on the platform which indicate where special compartments like I Class and the ones for Ladies would come up. We were actually standing near a sign that said Ladies. So my friend and I moved a bit farther down, hoping we would have a normal compartment stop in front of us.
But the driver who brought along that next train, had different ideas. I think he overshot his position and when the train stopped the ladies compartment was right in front of us. We also realised that the train was generally crowded and we had to board somewhere quickly. I asked my friend to board the Ladies compartment and I would go ahead with the next general one. But she decided to give me company and we headed to the general compartment.
Since we were running short of time, we decided to quickly board the first entrance we saw. As luck would have it, we entered the Vendors section. Even before we saw anything, there was this whiff of fresh air, I am sorry, fish air, that hit us. The bloody rake was filled with the morning's catch of all sorts of fish and the whole place STANK. I was actually afraid that I would lose all sense of smell henceforth and that I would start smelling like one and attract the attention of dogs and cats in my vicinity. So, at the 3rd station, we got out and boarded the next entrance.
This compartment too was quite smelly with BO, but in perspective, I felt like I had entered a lavender garden. While standing, I did experience quite a lot of pushing and shoving for people to move from place to place. Also, there was this constant feeling that someone was staring at me from close quarters and more often than not, my peripheral vision seemed to justify it.
We got seats after a few more stations and after that the travel was quite manageable. After we reached our destination, we got the return tickets as well, so that we wouldn't have to stand at the ticket counter that evening and considering the downpour in the evening, it was a brilliant move.
The evening trip started off quite auspiciously with a cloudy sky becoming a rainy sky during the time it took me to buy a pack of Good Day biscuits and a bar of Coffee Bite. I also got a broken umbrella in the Food Court and it practically ensured that I got wetter than would have been the case if I didn't have an umbrella.
The 10 minute wait at the platform was also a fairly wet one. Luckily a couple of more friends and an indirect boss of mine were all together and so the 10 minutes went by in just 600 seconds.
Once the train approached, all of us took up strategic positions and boarded the compartment nearest to us. Lo behold, this one was crowded already and we could only stand! The regular and frequent users were very perplexed with the situation and attributed it to "visitors" like me.
We were joined in the compartment by a group of migrant workers. One of the guys was in a totally wasted condition and actually smelt of varnish! He started smoking a beedi and when reprimanded, started hollering about the rich and poor and what not. Due to his inebriated state, none of what he said was coherent. Luckily, wiser counsel prevailed from his more sober wife who quietened him down.
But, I didn't get a seat for the whole trip and if it were not for the company I had, it would have been quite a boring trip. After we alighted at Guindy, my friends and I came out and booked an auto. Since they had better bargaining skills than yours truly, they managed to catch hold of an auto for Rs70 and the trip included a drop at Indra Nagar en route to Besant Nagar!
Tomorrow, I am going to travel by First Class at least one way and see how that section is going to impact my travel experience.
Costs:
Auto morning : Rs. 45.00 (shared)
Train ticket morning: Rs. 7.00
Train ticket evening: Rs. 7.00
Auto evening : Rs. 30.00 (shared)
Total = Rs. 89.00
Reaching office - alternate options
Since the only other driver in my car pool has gone to Canada and will not be back for a year or two, we are facing serious challenges in terms of continuing the same. I am finding it quite tiring to drive on all 5 days of the week, especially when I have to spend 3-4 days stuck in continuous traffic jams lasting for 30 odd minutes at multiple places.
AS has been detailed many times before, I am kinda fed up with the bus travel due to the cramped seats and a continuous feeling of violation of private space. So I thought I will try out the option of traveling by the EMU or electric train from Guindy to my office.
From an economic stand point, I actually end up paying more for the train travel. That's because, I have to spend some 150 bucks a day by auto (from and to home) and that alone comes to 3K per month. Whereas, the car pool expense for the whole of November cost me only 2K!
But in spite of these challenges, I still wanted to try out the train option. If I indeed start liking the train travel, I am likely to think seriously about the commute to Guindy. It might probably give me a good reason to get my Splendor back on track, yet again.
I have used the train to reach office once before (I had to attend a wedding en route) and a couple of times on the return leg. Today was going to be my first time travelling both ways by train.
Details about my experiences can be read in my subsequent posts.
AS has been detailed many times before, I am kinda fed up with the bus travel due to the cramped seats and a continuous feeling of violation of private space. So I thought I will try out the option of traveling by the EMU or electric train from Guindy to my office.
From an economic stand point, I actually end up paying more for the train travel. That's because, I have to spend some 150 bucks a day by auto (from and to home) and that alone comes to 3K per month. Whereas, the car pool expense for the whole of November cost me only 2K!
But in spite of these challenges, I still wanted to try out the train option. If I indeed start liking the train travel, I am likely to think seriously about the commute to Guindy. It might probably give me a good reason to get my Splendor back on track, yet again.
I have used the train to reach office once before (I had to attend a wedding en route) and a couple of times on the return leg. Today was going to be my first time travelling both ways by train.
Details about my experiences can be read in my subsequent posts.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Last Friday night was my first time
Last Friday night, was the first time that I booked train tickets over the Internet.
That evening, an aunt of mine (my mother's manni) passed away in Trichy and so my folks had to go there. Since we got the news only after 9 PM, we couldnt go right away. And considering my parents' age, it was not possible to send them by bus either.
So I logged on to the net and tried my hand at booking tickets over the net. After much help from Raghu (which by the way was a help that was timely as usual and has increased my debt to him manifold), we were finally able to reserve two tickets for my parents' onward journey to Trichy.
Unfortunately, the server was too darn slow and the whole process took nearly an hour. Then, for the return journey, we were unable to make a reservation. Since it was quite late in the night by then (almost 11.30), it was finally decided that I would go to Rajaji Bhavan the next morning and book tickets.
Saturday morning started with Mr.Aditya reporting for duty on time. I too woke up, had my shower and was at Rajaji Bhavan at 8.30AM, assuming that the booking counter opened only then. But, there seemed to be more experienced people and I actually had to stand in line for quite some time.
I finally reached the counter - nearly an hour or so after waiting. This period incidentally witnessed me and everyone else in the queues, having to park ourselves in a seat, for say 3-4 minutes and then having to move two seats ahead.
There I encountered one of the rudest and probably the quintessential Government employee. I had chosen the credit card counter ok. So, when I presented the reservation form, she asked me if I wanted to pay by cash or card. I answered that plastic was my choice and she pushed the form back to me. And said, "You have to write your card number, expiry date, bank name and cardholder name on the form. Its there on the board sir, didn't you read? Fill it up and come back. Next.".
I was flummoxed. This bloody bleep was asking to me leave the counter just so that I could fill in a few alphanumeric characters on the form and that too when the form didn't even have any explicit provision for the same. I just had to write it in the white space available.
I even searched for the board which, she said carried these instructions. After much scanning I realised that the dark, dirty and piece of cardboard which I had mistaken for a shoddy patchwork of the counter, was actually a notice board. On closer inspection, I was able to unscramble the symbols - a la Robert Langdon - and told myself that the bleeping lady was indeed right.
But what really irked me was the fact that she asked me to return to the front of the row to fill up this data. I mean, couldn't that bleep have at least started scanning for availability of tickets? She could have had me fill it out before issuing me the ticket. But no. That bleeping bleep had to demonstrate her bleeping superiority over me.
Finally, after more irritating comments from that female, I finally got the tickets I wanted for my parents' return journey.
But the experience was an eye-opener for me. I have made a solemn promise to myself that I shall henceforth not set foot into that bleeping office. I will endure countless timeout messages and connectivity issues with Railways' online server, but I will buy my tickets only through the Internet.
I simply don't want to interact with any of these relatives of Satan and Lalu.
That evening, an aunt of mine (my mother's manni) passed away in Trichy and so my folks had to go there. Since we got the news only after 9 PM, we couldnt go right away. And considering my parents' age, it was not possible to send them by bus either.
So I logged on to the net and tried my hand at booking tickets over the net. After much help from Raghu (which by the way was a help that was timely as usual and has increased my debt to him manifold), we were finally able to reserve two tickets for my parents' onward journey to Trichy.
Unfortunately, the server was too darn slow and the whole process took nearly an hour. Then, for the return journey, we were unable to make a reservation. Since it was quite late in the night by then (almost 11.30), it was finally decided that I would go to Rajaji Bhavan the next morning and book tickets.
Saturday morning started with Mr.Aditya reporting for duty on time. I too woke up, had my shower and was at Rajaji Bhavan at 8.30AM, assuming that the booking counter opened only then. But, there seemed to be more experienced people and I actually had to stand in line for quite some time.
I finally reached the counter - nearly an hour or so after waiting. This period incidentally witnessed me and everyone else in the queues, having to park ourselves in a seat, for say 3-4 minutes and then having to move two seats ahead.
There I encountered one of the rudest and probably the quintessential Government employee. I had chosen the credit card counter ok. So, when I presented the reservation form, she asked me if I wanted to pay by cash or card. I answered that plastic was my choice and she pushed the form back to me. And said, "You have to write your card number, expiry date, bank name and cardholder name on the form. Its there on the board sir, didn't you read? Fill it up and come back. Next.".
I was flummoxed. This bloody bleep was asking to me leave the counter just so that I could fill in a few alphanumeric characters on the form and that too when the form didn't even have any explicit provision for the same. I just had to write it in the white space available.
I even searched for the board which, she said carried these instructions. After much scanning I realised that the dark, dirty and piece of cardboard which I had mistaken for a shoddy patchwork of the counter, was actually a notice board. On closer inspection, I was able to unscramble the symbols - a la Robert Langdon - and told myself that the bleeping lady was indeed right.
But what really irked me was the fact that she asked me to return to the front of the row to fill up this data. I mean, couldn't that bleep have at least started scanning for availability of tickets? She could have had me fill it out before issuing me the ticket. But no. That bleeping bleep had to demonstrate her bleeping superiority over me.
Finally, after more irritating comments from that female, I finally got the tickets I wanted for my parents' return journey.
But the experience was an eye-opener for me. I have made a solemn promise to myself that I shall henceforth not set foot into that bleeping office. I will endure countless timeout messages and connectivity issues with Railways' online server, but I will buy my tickets only through the Internet.
I simply don't want to interact with any of these relatives of Satan and Lalu.
Monday, February 19, 2007
16-Feb 7:15PM to 18-Feb 4:30PM ::: Part 1
RG and Lakshmi came with their kids at around 7.15 PM and picked me up. It was interesting to note that their driver didn't know the route from my house to the Egmore station. Neither did both of them for that matter.
So, it was left to Marco Jawahar Polo to guide us to the station. I had no qualms in getting the group till the Mount Road Darga. But from there, I wasn't too sure about the route to take, coz I havent really gone much to that station or that pin code itself for that matter.
I trusted the mental images I had of that area and thankfully, not much of the slum, and the cooum had changed. So we reached the station with some 30 minutes to spare. Sathya too reached a few minutes before we did.
Once we reached the platform, we moved to our coach and found that all of us were given different seats. What I meant of course, is that we weren't in the same bay in the coach. I was in the first bay, RG and Lakshmi in the second and Sathya was actually in the next coach.
Since the train was full, we couldn't get Sathya into this coach itself. But with a lone traveller in the second bay consenting, I was able to swap seats with him and become part of the second bay itself.
So in effect, we had two side berths and one upper berth. After much deliberation, I was allocated the side upper one. Despite the best efforts of Indian Railways' exemplary design that doesn't let any air reach the upper berth (and a bold and loud crying attempt by the baby in our group), I managed to sleep between 11.30 PM and 7.30 AM.
I woke up to find the coach quite deserted. That's when I was informed that 90% of the crowd had gotten down at Madurai and we were practically the only ones left out in the coach.
The Nellai Express sauntered on for the last one hour and we finally reached "Thirunaveli" (I noticed a few years back that the locals don't say Thirunelveli, they only say Thirunaveli) at 8.45 AM.
We were welcomed there by Rajesh's brother, who arranged a Qualis for us and dropped us off at the Hotel near the station. Since Rajesh had invited quite a few friends, the Hotel staff were slightly behind in handling the request. So, while RG and Lakshmi got their room, Sathya and I were tagged with a party of 3 others. We were shown to the King's Suite of the Hotel. It was a very spacious room, with a small living area with sofa set et al, a good sized bedroom with a big double bed and a big single bed. There was also a separate dressing area and a cool bathroom with bathtub!
Since Sathya had planned to take his bath at the Falls we were going to visit, the opportunity of having the bath first was available in front of me and off I went. After an uneventful completion of the morning duties, I emerged a much better person on the outside.
Then it was breakfast time.
So, it was left to Marco Jawahar Polo to guide us to the station. I had no qualms in getting the group till the Mount Road Darga. But from there, I wasn't too sure about the route to take, coz I havent really gone much to that station or that pin code itself for that matter.
I trusted the mental images I had of that area and thankfully, not much of the slum, and the cooum had changed. So we reached the station with some 30 minutes to spare. Sathya too reached a few minutes before we did.
Once we reached the platform, we moved to our coach and found that all of us were given different seats. What I meant of course, is that we weren't in the same bay in the coach. I was in the first bay, RG and Lakshmi in the second and Sathya was actually in the next coach.
Since the train was full, we couldn't get Sathya into this coach itself. But with a lone traveller in the second bay consenting, I was able to swap seats with him and become part of the second bay itself.
So in effect, we had two side berths and one upper berth. After much deliberation, I was allocated the side upper one. Despite the best efforts of Indian Railways' exemplary design that doesn't let any air reach the upper berth (and a bold and loud crying attempt by the baby in our group), I managed to sleep between 11.30 PM and 7.30 AM.
I woke up to find the coach quite deserted. That's when I was informed that 90% of the crowd had gotten down at Madurai and we were practically the only ones left out in the coach.
The Nellai Express sauntered on for the last one hour and we finally reached "Thirunaveli" (I noticed a few years back that the locals don't say Thirunelveli, they only say Thirunaveli) at 8.45 AM.
We were welcomed there by Rajesh's brother, who arranged a Qualis for us and dropped us off at the Hotel near the station. Since Rajesh had invited quite a few friends, the Hotel staff were slightly behind in handling the request. So, while RG and Lakshmi got their room, Sathya and I were tagged with a party of 3 others. We were shown to the King's Suite of the Hotel. It was a very spacious room, with a small living area with sofa set et al, a good sized bedroom with a big double bed and a big single bed. There was also a separate dressing area and a cool bathroom with bathtub!
Since Sathya had planned to take his bath at the Falls we were going to visit, the opportunity of having the bath first was available in front of me and off I went. After an uneventful completion of the morning duties, I emerged a much better person on the outside.
Then it was breakfast time.
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