A trip to Madurantakam with Varsha

Madurantakam Yeri Katha Ramar.

February 30th, 2011.

This was the most fantastic day of my life. I took my younger sister Varsha to my favourite place Madurantakam, which is 84km south of Chennai. I love my sister very much and I had always wanted her to accompany in my travels, but it was never possible as she was very busy with her career and I didn’t want to disturb her too much. I never took her beyond TN. We started at 0600hrs from our house in Adyar. We boarded the new Tata Marcopolo type-M49 bus and got down at Guindy Railway station. The bus ticket cost Rs.3 each. We both walked to the ticket counter and purchased two tickets to Madurantakam. It cost Rs.14/- each.


Madurantakam Ram Temple-Gopuram.

The train was expected to arrive only at 06:55hrs. We had nearly 50 minutes at hand. We both sat in one of the platform benches and started talking about yesterday’s cricket match. I love “Varsh kutty” very much. The age difference isn’t much and I am elder to her only by one year! She has been my companion during my tough times and she has helped me to get through tough situations in life. I always use to tell our mother that she is more intelligent than me. But Varsha always believed that I was more talented due to experience gained through travels. I may have travelled, but I never had the ability to learn from the past nor use my so-called experience. What is the use if one couldn’t use his resources properly? What’s the point if hardwork goes in vain due to simple mistakes? But it was my sister Varsha who made me correct this mistake. I started learning from my mistakes in the past. She taught me to learn from my mistakes. Or rather made me learn using her own ways.


Taken during our return journey.

I was lost in my thoughts thinking about my sister, a shrill honk distracted me. It was a WAP-4 honk. WAP-4#22550 was hauling Pandian Express and it crossed us at high speed. I have taught Varsha to identify locomotives, numbers etc. After the train passed, she asked in an innocent childish voice, “Anna, is this WAP-4?” I replied, “Yes”.

I like this attitude in her. She tries to learn everything. She makes her own decisions after analysing things. Many think that liking trains is kiddish, but Varsha was different. Though she isn’t interested much in railways, she respects my love for these machines. She googles to finds details and tries to learn on her own about Railways. I have told her many times that she can also become a railfan, but she wasn’t interested in going to that eccentric level. She is 23, but still her voice is like a 6 year old child.


WDM-2#16881 with NCJ special at Karunguzhi.

We spent time watching a lot of trains coming from various places like Kanyakumari, Sengottai, Rameshwaram, Nagore. At 0710hrs, 103-Pondicherry Fast Passenger arrived at Guindy. It was nearly 15 minutes late. The locomotive for the day was WAP-4#22220. We boarded the second coach. There were few seats available, but I preferred to stand along with Varsha kutty atleast till our next halt. Within a few minutes, the train was doing 100kph. Varsha was standing near the door and I was a bit worried. I found two empty window seats and we both settled in it comfortably as we didn’t want to stand all the way. Our train reached Tambaram at 0730hrs. Just as we departed Tambaram, WDP-3A#15534 was seen entering Tambaram with Pothigai Express.


WDP-3A#15503 with Pearl City Express near Paranur.

Our train had halts at Guduvanchery, Potheri, Singaperumal Koil, Paranur and reached Chengalpet at 0815hrs, nearly 20 minutes late. WAP-4#22693 was seen hauling Villupuram-Tambaram passenger at Maraimalai Nagar. WDP-3A#15503 was spotted at Paranur hauling Pearl City Express. After 10 minutes halt at Chengalpet, our train started its run. Since all Chennai bound expresses from south were running late, our train being a passenger was put on loop giving preference to Expresses in the single line section. At Ottivakkam, WAP-4#22232 crossed us with Madurai-New Delhi Sampark Kranti Express. At Karunguzhi, WDM-2#16881 crossed our train with a weekly special from Nagercoil. I was enjoying the crossings and I got down each time to take photos but didn’t allow Varsha to get down! She got bit upset due to this.


WDP-3A#15534 with Pothigai Express near Tambaram.

Our train reached Madurantakam at 0915hrs. It was nearly 40 minutes late. We both walked for nearly 1 km to reach the temple which was located at the center of the town’s market. Varsha was visiting the temple for the first time and she was a bit excited. The temple wasn’t crowded much too. We had darshan of the Lord quite comfortably as there werent' many people around. As we explored the temple, I explained the legendary tale behind this temple.

In the year 1796, the temple authorities decided to build a separate shrine for Janakavalli Thayar (Goddess Sita). It was a rainy season and Madurantakam Tank was getting full. There was a fear that the bunds would give away and water would come into the town. At that time, Lt.Col. Plaze, the British collector noticed a huge pile of stones near the Temple. He inquired the purohits why there were so many bricks and stones inside the temple complex.

The purohits replied that those bricks were to be used for constructing a separate shrine for Goddess Sita. The collector was amused. Lt.Plaze said that building a shrine wasn’t a priority. He believed that the bricks should be used for repairing the bunds of the tank which had broken. The purohits replied that Lord Vishnu never betrayed any devotee and He always answers the prayers of his devotees. Purohits asked the Collector to pray to Lord Ram sincerely from his heart and they assured him that his prayers would be answered.


Madurantakam-Railway station entrance

The rains never stopped. The entire town of Madurantakam was filled with water everywhere and daily life was affected. Many feared that the tank would overflow and water will come into the town. As a District Collector, Lt.Col Plaze had a lot of work pressure due to this and he was extremely worried. He went to the spot along with his team and inspected the bunds. He prayed at heart that the bunds shouldn’t break.

There was a flash of lightning. He saw two figures standing at a distance. One of them had a bow in the hand. Lt.Col. Plaze was amazed and spell bound. It was none other than Lord Ram (Vishnu) and his divine brother Lakshman. His prayers were answered! Lord Ram and Lakshman themselves have taken the task of protecting the tank. When the rains stopped, the Collector approached the purohits and apologised to them for being sarcastic. He personally took charge of the construction expenses and a shrine for Janakavalli Thayar was built. A small idol of Col.Plaze is engraved in the walls of the shrine of Janakavalli Thayar as a sign of respect. Even in the temple entrance Col.Plaze’s name is mentioned in the pillars.

Coming back to the present....

Varsha kutty was impressed with the temple's beauty and the surroundings. I can notice that by her looks. We slowly went to other sannidhis one by one and had darshan of other deities. We spent time seeing the paintings on the walls too. Varsha even took a few snaps too. One particular image which impressed her was that of Goddess Parvati’s marriage in which Lord Vishnu was giving her to Lord Shiva. She couldn’t understand the significance of the picture entirely. I explained it to her. “Varsha, this practice is known as Kanya Dhanam. The bride’s father or elder brother gives away the girl to her husband. No Hindu marriage is complete without it”.


Madurantakam Lake.

We went around the temple thrice. Varsha was very happy. I was happy too. At last I did something useful for my sister. I love my sister very much. I like her kiddishness, innocence, anger. Sometimes I am afraid of her too. During my disappointments, she has always been with me trying to change my mind. If I refuse to change, she has even forced me to change. I had no options than obeying her as she has been along with me always giving me hope. She is more valuable to me than any other friends. In a few circumstances in the past when I was down, she has literally taken over my life and shown me the path to happiness.

This is similar to a state under President’s rule. She is my President. She would continue to rule me, till a proper Chief Minister comes to take care of me. But her part isn’t over yet. She would be present during the oath taking ceremony and tie the third knot in my marriage giving her approval and appointing a new girl as Chief Minister to monitor the state. She has every right over me and I am happy every time she uses her rights.

We had our breakfast at Nirmala Bhavan. We walked back to the railway station. It was a long walk! We purchased our tickets up to Mambalam and waited for the newly introduced Villupuram-Egmore Passenger. It came at 1205hrs with WAP-4#22390. I peeped into the locomotive and was surprised to see 55-year old Loco-Pilot Ram. I knew him very well for the past 5 years. I told him that I had come along with my sister to see the temple. He invited us for a ride. I agreed as this was perhaps the best chance to take Varsha in a real locomotive.

Varsha was excited as this was her first ride in a real locomotive. Within a few minutes our train was hitting 100kph! WAP-4 shakes a lot at high speed! The track sounds were awesome. Praang!!!! Praang!!! LP Ram even allowed Varsha kutty to operate the honks once. The passenger had only 10 coaches and it was a piece of cake for the WAP-4. We reached Mambalam at 1330hrs. We both got down at Mambalam and waved at Ram as he departed towards the final stop Egmore.

We walked towards T.Nagar bus stop and took a 5B bus to Gandhinagar bus stop. As we walked into our house, I asked her, “How was WAP-4 experience??????” She replied, “Superb! Awesome!”

-Krishna Kumar.S

This article is dedicated to all girls who are considered as sisters by me.

Navjeevan Series "New Life": First Class Trip to Salem

WDM-2#16296 with Garib Rath Express at Pukkiravari. The train was in loop waiting for our passenger.

April 2nd, 2010.

I started at 20:30hrs from my house and reached Egmore at 21:30hrs. I hurried to the hotel just outside Egmore to have my favourite Chilli Parotta as I haven’t had it for the past 6 months. To my disappointment, the hotel staff told me that only noodles was available. My friend Sriram Karthik joined me when I was busy with my noodles. Together we walked towards our train. As usual we went to the front to find out the locomotive number. We found that WDM-2#16802 LHF was our power.

I was actually doing an eccentric trip (as usual). The plan was to travel by First Class as first class coaches were going to be removed from service soon. Also, I haven’t seen the section between Virudhachalam and Salem. We were eagerly looking for this trip due to the above mentioned reasons. Sriram Karthik also agreed to join in the trip and another friend Chidambaram agreed to come till Virudhachalam as he was proceeding towards Tiruchi for some personal work. So I charted a plan as follows.

Plan:

1. Taking 1063 Egmore (MS)-Salem Express till Virudhachalem (VRI). Getting down at VRI at around 3AM in the morning. I am not a time-table guy, I am not sure of timings. Sorry!
2. Observe night trains passing through VRI from 3AM till 5:30AM. This was Sriram Karthik and Chimbu’s plan! My plan was to sleep in the platform bench.
3. Board VRI-SA passenger at 5:30AM to Salem. The train reaches Salem around 8:30AM.
4. The return journey is by West Coast Express from Salem to Chennai in First Class compartment.


The Ultimate Road Number King in MAS!! Sriram Karthik!

I am not a guy who notes speeds, numbers nor a guy well versed in timetables. I simply enjoy train travels and I wish to keep my hobby to that limit itself and not venturing into technical details. So I didn’t care about noting down any timing, or spotting or numbers of the locomotives which I saw in action during my trip. However, my dear friend Sriram Karthik was exactly the opposite. He sat all night and noted down all the numbers and crossings with timings! I should really appreciate Sriram on this. Few members are simply great and I am nowhere near in these aspects of rail fanning.

I believed that my train started on time and very soon we were doing very high speeds. Chidambaram boarded at Tambaram and sat with us for some time. He had got a Side-Lower berth in a different coach, but he was interested in being with us for some time. I got a Side-Lower and Sriram got a Lower berth, but none of us were interested in sleeping early.

I was impressed with the driving of the Loco pilot. 18602 WDM-2 was indeed a performer. Even though I am not a great diesel fan, I do like the WDM-2’s. But at heart I had the feeling, that good old WDM-2 days are over. But it wasn’t. The acceleration and speed was awesome. I was not keen on being awake as my focus was not to observe the crossings, but to enjoy the section between VRI and Salem and the return journey in First Class. Chidambaram and I went to sleep when our train crossed Olakur. I opted to take Sriram’s LB and Sriram comfortably settled in my Side-lower berth. Sriram Karthik was awake all night in Side Lower Berth!!

When I woke up next, I noticed that my train was in Villupuram. For the next few hours, my sleep wasn’t continuous. I woke up every time when my train stopped for a crossing. At Tiruvennainallur Road 6108 Mangalore-Chennai Egmore Express was waiting in loop. RPM WAP-4#22806 was the power. At Puvanur, WAP-4 crossed with 2632 Nellai Express and it wasn’t doing great speeds. However, what happened next was something awesome. We were put on loop at Parikkal and 2638 Pandian Express crossed us at a high speed. The honks were monstrous and when the locomotive crossed my window, cold breeze hit my face. I went to sleep again.


Chimbu and Sriram during the early morning hours. The location is Virudhachalam Railway station. Even at that time Sriram is pondering over his notes, timetables, referring to spottings etc etc.

Sriram Karthik woke me up when my train was nearing Virudhachalam. I was feeling very sleepy and I slept on the bench for a few minutes as Sriram and Chidambaram were talking about various rail related topics. It was a different pleasant experience. I mean sleeping in a railway station’s bench at night hours when the whole city is asleep, gazing at the empty sky and stars. The atmosphere was very fresh. I inhaled fresh air and after a few breaths I was feeling as if I was in heaven.

Two of our friends Naveen and Raghu Jayaraman were returning from Sengottai in 2662 Pothigai Express and they agreed to meet us at Virudhachalam. WAP-4#22222 hauled 2662 Pothigai Express entered into VRI in a monstrous style. Amazing! I was speechless. Once the train rolled to a stop, we waited at the coach entrance. Sleepy looking bearded Naveen and a fresh looking Raghu came out and greeted us. Naveen was seeing me after a long time and even at that unearthly hour; he couldn’t resist pulling my legs.

Within two minutes, starter was given and Naveen/Raghu departed towards Chennai. Chimbu and Sriram started talking about train topics and I returned to my slumber. I was enjoying in my own dream world. Sleeping in a railway station is a pleasant experience. Sriram purchased the tickets to Salem and woke me up at 5AM. Our train was already in platform and to our surprised we found that WDM-2#16802 was attached to its helm. This was the same locomotive which hauled our train to VRI earlier. As our train was about to depart, Chimbu’s train came in another platform and so we bid good bye to him as he was heading towards Tiruchi.

Our train had an on-time departure at 5:30AM. The section was scenic and I enjoyed it. It was a single non-electrified line. Our WDM-2 was doing well. Sriram Karthik felt that the Loco-Pilot wasn’t driving well and he wasn’t making full use of WDM-2’s power efficiently. The LP accelerated and decelerated repeatedly for no reason. I couldn’t figure out either, but that wasn’t my job. I sat by the window side and observed the cows, dogs, goats and rice fields as my train went through a scenic route.

We arrived at Salem around 8:30AM. We had only one hour time before 6628 West Coast arrived at Salem. Immediately, without wasting any time we had our breakfast of Idlis, Dosas etc. Sriram was returning in coach as he was not able to get a FC ticket. WAP-4#22517 arrived with West Coast Express and without wasting any time, I boarded my train.

When I boarded the FC coach, I was shocked. There was only one elderly person travelling in it and the rest of the coach was empty. I looked at the chart and found that many FC travellers have got down at Coimbatore and Palakkad. I was overjoyed. There was no one to disturb me!

My cabin was a coupe which can accommodate two people. I got a window-seat facing the locomotive! But the window was towards the left so that could mean I can’t observe any trains which were actually going to come on my right.

22517 did perform well in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride. I was all alone for nearly 5 hours all the way up to Chennai. No one disturbed me and I was floating in my own world. I gazed out of the window and observed the fast moving trees, roads, mountains, posts, stations. For some stupid reason, my train slowed down a lot especially near Jolarpettai, Ambur, and Arokkonam. But thanks to the buffer in the timings, my train reached on time at Chennai Central. It was a hot day and certainly not a season to rail fan, but I was in Chennai after a long time and I desperately wanted to do this trip. I got down from the coach and waited for Sriram. When I saw Sriram, I was amused. He was looking a chicken which has been fried. Chennai heat was really severe.

As we walked towards MAS entrance, Sriram lamented that 22517 didn’t perform well. However, I seriously differ from this. In my opinion, the locomotive did perform well. However, the train was made to wait unnecessarily at JTJ, AB and AJJ, otherwise it could have arrived MAS very early!

-Krishna Kumar.S
IRFCA-MAS (Transferred from Howrah)

Journey to West Bengal

Journey to West Bengal

Tickets were booked in Coromandel Express through tatkal and I travelled in 2AC for the first time. I had a thought of taking flight but later I dropped the plan. With the help of my cousin brother Jaikarthik, I got my tickets booked without any problem. I reached Chennai Central along with my cousin brother. We had our morning breakfast at 0730hrs and we waited at platform 11.

My school mate Manoj was also travelling in the same train-Coromandel Express but in 3AC coach. As the rake was shunted in to the platform, there was a mad rush for the UR or unreserved compartments. Even reserved sleeper coaches weren't spared and there was a mad rush! Within a few minutes, there were people sitting on floors, in between bays, near the doors etc etc. We were a bit relieved that we were going in 2AC; else we would have had a tough time. I also noticed that there were many people trying to get into A/C compartments without proper tickets.

I was a bit disappointed that we had got upper berth. A window seat would have been a better choice to see sceneries of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal. Anyway, there were other priorities. Our coach was A-1 and 32-34 were our seat numbers. My friends Vimalakar, Sriram Karthik and Vivek were at MAS and assisted me with my luggages. Our train departed Chennai Central later by a few minutes. The power was WAP-4#22295. There were lots of jerks. I felt a lot of jerks in Basin Bridge itself. My train never accelerated and it didn't even touch 60kph for a long time. We had a 5 mins halt at Tiruvottiyur. It took 35 minutes for us to reach Ennore and we crossed the Ennore creek bridge with extreme caution (10kph-15kph).

The train was very slow for some mysterious reason! I came to the door near Kavaraipettai and witnessed my train negotiating the curve after Kavaraipettai. It was fantastic. I stood at the door till GPD outer. My train crossed Gummidipondi at 60kph. Lucknow Express came in the opposite direction with an Itarsi WAM-4 and it was going towards Chennai Central (MAS). In my opinion, my train never touched 110kph. It was damn slow. There were lots of jerks. I went inside my coach and I got busy with a packet of kurkure and Lays. I was listening to my Western Music collection as usual.

There was a Bengali family travelling along with us and they were our friends for a day. The person was working in IBM and he was travelling with his wife and their 6 month old daughter Pratyusha. My train crossed Gudur at 1215hrs at extremely slow speed. My friend Manoj came to my seat and we were talking for about 1 hour. We were pulling each other's legs (war of words)-something which we do often. That's what we have been doing for the past 15 years whenever we find time.

After Nellore, I went to upper berth. AC cooling was good and overall it was a comfortable journey, but I missed a lot of sceneries. I door plated occasionally, but most of the time I was with my elder cousin brother. I decided to take a nap after Nellore and I went for a short power nap. I got up at 1600hrs and I realized that my train was in Vijayawada. The train was obviously late! I called up my home and updated my parents. I hoped that the train would touch high speeds after crew change at Vijayawada, but it turned out to be even more pathetic.

There was a big jerk and even my berth shaked! My brother and I exchanged glances. After a very poor, horrible honk my train started from Vijayawada. I went and stood near the door to observe the mountains. The train was taking the wrong line! It was keeping right instead of left. I wondered why? Are such things common in SCR? I realized that there was a freighter in the left track. After travelling for a few kilometers in the right track, my train switched back to the left track. We touched 80kph consistently and we maintained the same speed for a long time. The classic moment was yet to come. WAG-7 of Kanpur came in the opposite direction with a short passenger rake. It was a wonderful sight especially with the mountains in the background. But I don’t know why? For some mysterious reason, my train never touched high speeds.

I managed to pass time by reading some dailies, newspapers. The entire trip was not a rail fanning trip, so rail fanning wasn't a priority. If I had got a lower berth things would have been a bit different! The people in the lower berth were always sleeping and we weren't able to sit even in the aisle seat. I was very disappointed. The entire coach was dull and everyone was sleeping. I came to the door near 755km post. My train was not going fast at all. I am not a high speed train fan, so I didn't bother. But fans of Rajdhani and Shatabdi would have been disappointed if they had travelled along with me in Coromandel Express that day. I couldn’t make out much as it was very dark and I came back to my berth.

My train reached Bhadrak on time. We were surprised. My brother felt that the driver who took charge after Vishakhapatnam was extremely good at driving. My train was now running on time! I got down at Bhadrak. Orissa looked very beautiful. My train had a loco change at Vishakhapatnam. As a result of that my coach was now fifth or sixth from the locomotive. I am not sure of the exact position. After Bhadrak, the acceleration was too good and there were no jerks.

I am not sure where exactly the crew change took place. It must have been in Khurda Road or Bhubaneswar. The driver who took charge for the final leg of the journey was too good. Simply wonderful! I doorplated for a while and I observed small stations like Morkhena etc etc flying past.. Then I came back to my berth. I was feeling disappointed. The person in the lower berth was occupying every bit of the berth. I couldn’t even sit in the aisle and watch through the window. So I went back to the door and I stood all the way for the next 3 hours till Kharagpur. I realized that the passengers running ahead of my train were put on loop and my train overtook them comfortably at 110kph! It was an awesome sight! My train reached Howrah on time. It was a fantastic experience.

I bid good-bye to Manoj and I said that I would meet him once I was settled. I had a glance at the city as my Taxi flew towards Salt Lake. The city looked a bit old and resembled some 1970’s. A small smile came over my face. I had a look at the people. I got confidence from observing their simple lifestyle. I believed that this was going to make a tremendous difference in life. This was only the beginning of a good friendship between this land and myself. A relationship which grew strongly within a few months, characterized by mutual trust, a sense of brotherhood and most of all I learnt how to treat a human being with respect.

-Krishna Kumar.S

Divinity of Madurantakam

Gopuram of Madurantakam-Yeri Katha Ramar Temple.

Why I like Madurantakam?

Madurantakam is a small town 84km away from Chennai. It is famous for a Ram Temple. I personally like Madurantakam very much for many reasons. I visit the Ram temple at Madurantakam almost every two months. Being a devotee of Lord Vishnu, I am always interested in Vishnu Temples. I am personally impressed with the overall majestic appearance of Lord Vishnu as Lord Ram in the Yeri Katha Ramar Temple. His brother Lakshman’s majestic appearance adds more beauty. As far as I know this is the only temple in which Lord Ram is portrayed as holding Sita’s hand. I got this information through the temple gurukkal with whom I converse often. One of my ambitions in life is to give Yeri Katha Ramar-a dhoti and thundu. I hope He would accept my gift.

Madurantakam has an interesting legend associated with it. It is believed that Lord Ram gave darshan to Lt.Colonel Plaze, a British collector when he prayed to Lord Ram to assist him. It is to be noted that Plaze was a sceptical person.

In the year 1796, the temple authorities decided to build a shrine for Janakavalli Thayar (Goddess Sita). It was a rainy season and Madurantakam Tank was getting full. There was a fear that the bunds would give away and water would come into the town. At that time, Lt.Plaze noticed a huge pile of stones piled up near the Temple. He inquired the purohits why there were so many bricks and stones inside the temple complex.


Temple Tank.

The purohits replied that those bricks were to be used for constructing a separate shrine for Goddess Sita. The collector was amused. Lt.Plaze said that building a shrine wasn’t a priority. He believed that the bricks should be used for repairing the bunds of the tank which had broken. The purohits replied that Lord Vishnu never betrayed any devotee and He always answers the prayers of his devotees. Purohits asked the Collector to pray to Lord Ram sincerely from his heart and they assured him that his prayers would be answered.

The rains never stopped. The entire town of Madurantakam was filled with water everywhere and daily life was affected. Many feared that the tank would overflow and water will come into the town. As a District Collector, Lt.Col Plaze had a lot of work pressure and he was extremely worried. He went to the spot along with his team and inspected the bunds. He prayed at heart that the bunds shouldn’t break.


Yeri Katha Ramar in all glory.

There was a flash of lightning. He saw two figures standing at a distance. One of them had a bow in the hand. Lt.Col. Plaze was amazed and spell bound. It was none other than Lord Ram (Vishnu) and his divine brother Lakshman. His prayers were answered! Lord Ram and Lakshman themselves have taken the task of protecting the tank. When the rains stopped, the Collector approached the purohits and apologised to them for being sarcastic. He personally took charge of the construction expenses and a shrine for Janakavalli Thayar was built. A small idol of Col.Plaze is engraved in the walls of the shrine of Janakavalli Thayar as a sign of respect. Even in the temple entrance Col.Plaze’s name is mentioned in the pillars.

While browsing through the Internet, I came across this legendary story. I was impressed. I visited Madurantakam for the first time in 2008 and as on date, I have been to Madurantakam 13 times. Tamilnadu has got lots to offer the world in my opinion. A British Collector believes in Lord Ram, but why do people over here inquire about the engineering degree of Lord Ram? I am confused and at the same time amused. British people are generally reserve and they follow a lot of rules. Even they have understood the existence of Ram.I think Lord Ram is a Civil Engineer and I am not sure in which college he graduated but the Britishers themselves have honoured him with a degree in Civil Engineering. The proof is the very existence of Col.Plaze's name in Madurantakam temple. What really matters is the knowledge and not the college. My Lord had enough knowledge to prevent the tank from breaking. He was the same person who built this world too. I am proud of Him.

Whenever I visit Madurantakam, I generally spend more than 4-5 hours at the temple complex. I like the taste of the divine theertham (water), the fragrance of camphor, the oil lamps, the granite floors, and the taste of tulsi leaves which my Lord Narayan likes very much. Madurantakam is one awesome place overall.

-Krishna Kumar.S

Journey to Kalinga Desam-Part 3

Konark-Sun Temple.

There were various items kept in display at shops outside the Sun Temple. Balaram, Subhadra and Jagannath trio set, a model of Konark wheel, a model of Konark Sun Temple, Ganesh, Vishnu, Shiva and other deities. They were a bit expensive. The shop keeper mistook me for a Bengali and took it as an advantage and said that the Balaram-Subhadra-Krishna set cost "cholees tanka". I told him,"ponneru tanka". After some hard bargain in English, Hindi and broken Bengali, Sanjeev and myself reduced the price from Rs.40(cholis taka) to Rs.15(ponneru taka). After some shopping, we both went to a hotel and had Masala Dosai. Masala Dosai was bit different and unique. It had lots of vegetables, some leaves along with potatoes. It was very tasty and I liked it. We both then walked to a musuem nearby and had a glance at Orissa's historical collectionsa and some old paintings. Once the fog had cleared, we returned back to the temple to take a few photos. Fog and mists were causing hinderance earlier, but when we returned again, we found that the fog had cleared.The climate was cool and pleasant with little bit of sun.

Orissa was a different experience for me and I liked interacting with the people here. I personally hate forming affinity groups. The real thrill comes when you interact with a person who speaks different language. The real spice of life is when one accustoms to a new lifestyle and learns from the local people.

Sanjeev Rao was leaving to Puri by bus while I took a bus from Konark to Bhubaneshwar. We both thanked each other and after sharing our telephone numbers we departed. I should admit the fact that Sanjeev was good at bargaining. Even I can get cheated for some Rs.10 or 20 extra, but such things are not possible with Sanjeev.

The distance of 70km was covered in two and a half hours. The ticket cost me "poytreesh taka"(Rs.35). I was happy that I was managing the situation despite an acute language problem, but I was learning Bengali fast. The bus journey was an fantastic one. My bus went on top of lot of bridges and I could observe that Orissa had a lot of water. There were small ponds everywhere.

My bus reached Bhubaneshwar at 1130hrs and I had my lunch immediately. Oriya meals was too good and I loved it, but I couldn't identify most of the dishes. But I told the server/bearer that I am a vegeterian. Meals cost me Rs.30/-. I lazily walked towards Bhubaneshwar Railway station which was only a stone's throw away. The station was small and I was entering the station through Kalpana Chauk entrance. I felt as if I was entering into Saidapet or Kodambakkam or Villupuram. Since Bhubaneshwar was the capital city of Orissa, I expected the railway station to be very big but it turned out to be small and simple.

My return link was 2822 Dhauli Express at 1315hrs and I had nearly 90 minutes. I spent some time roaming inside BBS station. Since I had only one backpack with clothes, I had no burden and I was able to observe quite a lot of things comfortably. WDS-6#36125 Kharagpur was seen doing some shunting business. VSKP WAM-4#20616 came with a passenger from Palassa. Rajdhani Express to New Delhi was getting ready to depart. A girl who recently got married was moving to Delhi with her husband. As the train departed, tears rolled down in her eyes.

Dhak-Dhak, Jung-Jung.. Rajdhai departed slowly. She waved to her parents with tears. I felt a bit sad too. If I had a sister, I would also be waving at her with tears. But I never had that feeling as WAP-4's and WDM-2's are my siblings.

WDM-2#16246 came with Sambalpur-Puri Express. 2821 Dhauli Express came from Howrah bang on time at 1245hrs. My coach was D-6 and I got a window seat facing towards the locomotive. I settled quite comfortably and waited for my departure. To my horror, the train didn't start at 1315hrs. It started only at 1400hrs. Nearly 45 minutes late!


Konark! Pic taken during early morning hours.

Something unfortunate happenned soon after departure. The lady sitting next to me lost her chain. The door was near to our seat and the culprit was waiting there for a long time. When the train departed and reached the outer, he quickly snatched the chain and jumped down and fell on the tracks. The lady was shocked and for the rest of her journey till Bhadrak she was crying. I felt sorry for her and I was in no mood for railfanning. I took a few minutes to recover from the shock. As the train picked up speed I looked back and saw the thief getting up from the tracks and wiping the dust off from his shirt and pants. Her mother in law was scolding her intially, but later she consoled her. It is easy to scold anyone, but it is impossible to put ourselves in another person's shoes. We never knew what the other person's journey in life is all about. Maybe if we were in other person's shoes, we might not even be half as good as them.

My train reached Cuttack at 1425hrs. Santragachi WAP-4#22825 was spotted with NDLS-PURI Puroshottam Express near Cuttack outer. After Cuttack, the train became an unreserved passenger all the way upto Howrah. People with open tickets got in and were standing in between seats and also in the aisle. You can imagine my plight. I couldn't eat snacks or drink water comfortably as there was no space to stretch.

Till Howrah, I sat in the same seat looking outside the windows and jotting down important points needed for this travelogue. The best part was yet to come! In the next 6 hours, I witnessed some real monstrous quality driving! This was something which I haven't witnessed earlier in my life. My train did normal speed till Cuttack. After Cuttack, it was a single line secton for a few kilometers. WDM-2#18575was spotted with a BCNA rake near Mancheswar. Angul 28046 WAG-7 was spotted with coal rake just outside Mancheswar station. Looks like all the freighters have stopped for some reason.


Konark during early morning hours.

It seems that my Loco-Pilot was very upset with the delayed start. After Cuttack my train was doing very high-speeds. As my train curved towards the right, I saw dust being sprayed on the platforms of Kendarapara Road. WDG-3A#13401+WDG-3A#13403 came with a long freight rake in the curve. It was amazing. Truly amazing. But my LP didn't give up the speed. Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak. Praaanggggg!!!!! Jal-Jal, click-click, Jal-Jal, click-click, Jal-Jal, click-click, Jal-Jal, click-click. Both my train and the freighter crossed each other at dangerously high speed. Passengers inside my coach closed their ears including the TTE. It was very noisy and the honks of the diesels were very frightenning.

Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak. My Loco-Pilot was like Adam Gilchrist of Australian cricket team chasing a score of 250 in a T-20 international match. BRC WAG-5#23689 came with a BCNA rake and crossed my train at a good speed. Even the freights were doing high speeds!!! I couldn't believe. I spotted VSKP WDG-3A#14602 with a BCNA rake near Kapilas Road. There were lots of freight trains hauled by diesels and unfortunately I couldn't note everything as I was completely mesmerized by the driving of my Loco-Pilot.

The brake application was neat and clean. No jerks. I haven't travelled in a Rajdhani or Shatabdi earlier in my life, but this train came very close to the glory of Rajdhani/Shatabdi.I spotted Rajdhani towards BBS near Soru. It must have been Bhubaneshwar Radhani. I had my own doubts too. Or was it only a empty rake? The speed was too fast and I couldn't make out much. My train's average speed was 71.5 kph excluding the delay before start. Meanwhile, all my friends back in Tamilnadu were updated through repeater Sriram Karthik in SMS. I do this often during my inter-state travels. I even got replies from friends in TN asking me to describe the speed, scenery and my feelings in a more detailed manner. Each roaming message would cost Rs.3 but I wasn't bothered. I like sharing my enjoyment with my friends in Tamilnadu. WAP-4#22271 was too fast and too good. Santragachi locomotives are good performers. That's my conclusion.


Bhubaneshwar Railway station. Kalpana chauk entrance. Pic taken by Krishna Kumar.S

I spotted lots of diesel under wires after Bhadrak. I was simply amazed at my LP's driving skills. The way he was drove, I felt that he wouldn't stop even at Howrah and he would go all the way up to my house in Bidhan Nagar. I connected my headset to my mobile and started listening to "Dhadhak Dhadhak" of Bunty Aur Bubli. I listen to that song ofte during my train travels. The music was too good and my train was blasted at nearly 110kph. You can imagine how much I enjoyed this return trip. Asansol WAG-7#28113 crossed my train with a coal rake after Bhadrak. As I was constantly looking outside the window, my face became dark due to dust and my shirt got dirty. But I wasn't bothered.

Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak. The real beauty was when my train ripped through points. Track sounds appear a bit different especially when the train is not changing over. I am running short of words, I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

MGS WAG-7#27037 hauled an BOXN rake at slow speed as my train ripped through small stations at 100kph! I felt as I was flying on tracks! Brutal driving. As my train curved towards the right, WAG-5 twins 24061 and 24035 came in the opposite direction heading towards BBS with a BOXN goods wagon rake. It was a real beauty. I can't express it over here, but I wish you were there along with me that day.

Irrespective of how much you travel, towards the end of the day you would conclude that your home town is the best. I use to feel like that when my train crosses Gummidpondi and enters Tamilnadu. I had the similar feeling when my train entered back into West Bengal. How much ever you roam or railfan, you feel quite content only when your train enters back into your home town. Though West Bengal isn't my home town, I felt happy after my train entered back into West Bengal. I use to feel like that when I was in TN. But for my loco-pilot this meant nothing. He was driving as if there were no brakes in the locomotive. The onlookers in stations were baffled and astonished as my train flew past them. I wonder why there wasn't so much of aggression yesterday when I took the same train to Bhubaneshwar.

My train reached Kharagpur at 1830hrs-late by 27 minutes. I thought that my train would get held up after Mecheda due to EMU traffic. But my train wasn't blocked at all but the speed was below 80kph. The speed dropped to 40kph for a few kilometers as it neared to Howrah. I thought it would get delayed near Howrah outer, but it got all clearances and entered into Howrah station at 2030hrs. I was late only by 15 minutes. What an amazing experience. I rushed to the front to congratulate the driver, but to my disappointment there was no one in the cab. It was empty. I boarded a reserved taxi and reached Bidhan Nagar within 40 minutes without any problems. My five adopted pups were waiting for me at the gate. It's been months since I adopted them, but they haven't got a name yet. As I climbed up stairs to my room, they rounded up and didn't allowed me to enter the house, till I gave them their quota of biscuits. I went to bed quietly.

-Krishna Kumar.S
IRFCA-Howrah.
West Bengal, India.

Journey to Kalinga Desam-Part 2

Photography prohibited!! Pic taken at Konark Temple, Orissa.

Trip Report Continuation....

I came outside Bhubaneshwar station immediately without wasting time and managed to get a cab to Puri for "threes taka"(Rs.30). The distance between Bhubaneshwar and Puri is 65km, but the taxi cost only Rs.30. Guess why? The call-taxi driver had already dropped a customer at BBS and he was returning to Puri empty. He wanted to make some extra money. So he simply charged the bus fee equivalent of Rs.30/-. The bus ticket to Puri costs Rs.30/-. I found that this was money-saving and more comfortable. The taxi started at 1300hrs and I reached Puri at 1415hrs.


Konark temple was covered with mists and fogs in the morning. I waited patiently to take a better photo.

With cab-driver's help, I found an accomodation in Hotel Subhadra near the temple in Puri. He scratched his head a bit and smiled at me. I understood what he expected. I gave him "kudi taka"(Rs.20). He gladly accepted it. If it was Chennai, things would have been different as expectations are more there. The A/C room cost me Rs.650 per day. It was a double bed, single room with TV. After taking rest for a few minutes, I came out and entered into the hotel next to my lodge. I had 4 rotis with sabji and pickles. The experience was fantastic. The taste was very good. I enjoyed the food.

Without wasting time, I immediately proceeded towards the temple. The temple was 500 meters away from my hotel. After nearing the temple complex, I found out that mobile phones were not allowed. Few people weren't bothered and many were carrying their mobiles, but I didn't want to take a risk especially in a new place. I walked back to my room and kept my mobile in my room and came back to the temple. I lost some good amount of time here.

One of the pundits or pundas tried to make some money out of me and tried various techniques by holding my hands and promising me to do pooja. He caught my hands a bit strong and he thought that I would be afraid. I gave a dirty look and reduced his guts to ashes. I looked at him even more firmly and removed even the last bit of his courage. There were lot of visitors from Andhra Pradesh. The darshan was suspended for nearly 45 minutes in the evening for some special pooja and I spent some time roaming around the compex.


Pic taken near Cuttack. Onboard 2821 Dhauli Express to BBS.

After 45 minutes, the crowd became less all of a sudden and I entered the complex quite comfortably. At a distance I saw Goddess Subhadra flanked by her two brothers Balram and Jagannath. It was a glorious sight. After darshan, I purchased a few small dolls as momento and returned back to my room. I slept for two hours. At around 2030hrs, I went down to have my dinner. I had rotis with sabji again.

I was listening to news in TV for sometime in my room and I went to bed at 2200hrs and got up at 0400hrs the next day. I got ready in 30 minutes and I checked out. I took a rickshaw from my hotel to Puri bus stand. It was a straight road, but the bus stand was a bit far. It cost me Rs.15/-. The guy was an old man and a kind person. He asked me for few rupees extra. I gave him "dosh taka"( Rs.10) extra. He was happy and he even helped me to find a bus to Konark. Konark was 37km from Puri. The private bus was to start at 0600hrs, but the driver took his own sweet time and waited till the bus was filled with passengers. We started only at 0637hrs.

I really enjoyed this bus-ride. Orissa was very beautiful. It gives me great pleasure and honor to write about Orissa and it's uniqueness and there could be no higher honor for me. My bus went through small scenic villages. Even the bus stops looked beautful. The entire area had a lot of greenery and there were lots of trees. Everything had a charm of its own. I saw a single-line electrified track accompanying our bus for sometime and later it went out of focus as my bus deviated towards Konark. I assumed that the track connected Puri and Bhubaneshwar. My bus went through small villages, primarly dealing with occupations like handicrafts, pottery, agriculture, livestock and farming. Great people with great thoughts, living a simple lifestyle. They may have worries, but those are genuine ones due to toughness of life.


Orissa was very unique and scenic. It was a bit dusty too.

When the whole world was worried about recession, thousands of ordinary Indians living in these small villages of Orissa, Jharkhand enjoyed their life by their simple lifestyle. Compared to these people, I have graduated nothing in my life. I need to learn a lot from them. These people know a lot of things. Those things aren't taught even in leading business schools or MNC's, corporates.

I reached Konark at 0745hrs. I met an old gentlemen named Sanjeev Rao from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. He worked for Income Tax deparment and currently posted Vizianagaram. He has come to Konark and Puri was sight-seeing. He knew better Hindi and we both helped each other. The entry ticket to see the Konark Sun Temple cost Rs.10/- and I bought a permit for Rs.25/- to take photos. The structure was very huge and I was amazed at the talents of Indian artistes who had so much of skills even in 10th century A.D-an era where there was no machines, advanced tools nor vehicles. If people are good at heart, they can deliver a lot of things. Technology is not a solution to everything.

-To be continued.

Journey to Kalinga Desam-Part 1

This article is whole heartedly dedicated to people of Orissa. I am from Tamilnadu and I live far away from you, but you people mean a lot to me and I love each one of you. I have my own personal reasons for it.

Best wishes to my brothers and sisters in Orissa,

-Krishna Kumar.S
"Toma mora swarer milan srishti kare chalbochatano".


January 30th, 2010.

The alarm clock woke me up at 0315hrs and I was ready in 30 minutes for another trip. The climate wasn't chill and I managed to walk comfortably to Tank Number 8 in Sector 2(Salt Lake). The stray dogs followed me for a short distance and they were suspicious about my activities. But I didn't panic-I quietly walked to the nearby Taxi stand and took one to Howrah Railway station. I instructed the driver that it should be a reserved taxi and no one should be boarding it other than me. Within 30 minutes, I reached Howrah thanks to some real skillful driving. Compared to Chennai, rates were reasonable here. Even if the driver asked Rs.20 or Rs.30, I didn't mind. I proceeded towards a small restaurant in Howrah station and had two vadas and one pizza with tomato sauce.

I was taking 2821 Dhauli Express till Bhubaneshwar(BBS). My plan was to visit Puri and Konark for the weekend. Travelling to Orissa has been one of my dreams and I am happy that I got the time to do. As usual, like any other travel buff, I went to the front to find the power for the day. Santragachi WAP-4#22271 was at the helm. I boarded my coach D2 which was near the locomotive and my seat number was 19. It was a window seat facing guard.


Konark wheel. Pic taken by Krishna Kumar.S

My train started on time at 0605hrs. It gathered speed in no time and literally sailed through the sub-urbs. I was surprised as I expected my train to struggle at least till Mecheda due to EMU's. Kharagpur WDM-3A#16382 R was seen shunting small rakes near Howrah outer. As my train negotiated a curve, I looked towards the rear end and realized that my train was a long one. I am not sure whether it was a 23 coacher, but it should have been a 18 or 19 coacher. After crossing Mecheda, I got a window seat towards locomotive. The person in front of me was feeling cold and he asked me whether I would be interested in a swap. I gladly accepted it.

I have a funny habit! Whenever, I am travelling, I send SMS to one or two friends who in turn act as repeaters and forward it to nearly 30 to 40 people in their respective distribution lists who like reading travel SMS's. I use repeaters who repeat SMS to avoid the cost involved in sending an STD SMS to everyone in Tamilnadu. I take the help of a friend who is a railfan named Sriram Karthik and another friend in personal front whose task is to forward my messages whenever I send them. I also make it a point to share my travel stories in SMS to update them LIVE, as and when it happens.

My train reached Kharaghpur at 0745hrs. At around 0748hrs, Barabil Jan Shatabdi overtook my train Dhauli Express at Kharagpur(KGP). I couldn't believe this. When I took this train to Naomundi two months back, it struggled to reach KGP due to sub-urban traffic, but it has covered 114km in 80 minutes today. How could that be possible? My train started at 0605hrs, but how come Barabil JS starting at 0625hrs overtake my train? Was Barabil Jan Shatabdi-a real high-speed one?


Konark Temple horse, Orissa.

After Kharagpur, my train was really fast. I felt a lot of aggression in driving. No jerks, no unnecessary application of brakes but still aggressive. I felt as if I was flying in a supersonic airplane. My mobile received an SMS from AirTel at 0850hrs. It was as follows: "Airtel welcomes you to Orissa. We wish you a pleasant stay here. For assistance call 121". I also received a message from my friend Abhijit Das, "wishing" me a happy journey.

It was an emotional moment for me. When I was in class 3 or 4, I remember marking Puri, Konark, Orissa in maps during history classes and exams, but I really can't believe that I was actually in Orissa itself interacting with Oriya people. You know how much it means for me. It means a lot!

My train reached Jaleswar at 0855hrs. Not many people got down here. The next halt was Balasore at 0940hrs. WAP-4#22269 was spotted at Balasore with a passenger in the loop. The passenger train wasn't crowded much. Since I was sitting in the left, I couldn't see the train traffic going towards Howrah. I wish I had got a window seat on the right. Dhauli Express crossed Bahanagabazaar at a high speed and even the onlookers in the platforms were amazed at my train's speed. My train reached Bhadrak at 1030hrs.


Surya idol kept inside in an isolated place. Konark, Orissa.

After Bhadrak, Dhauli became a passenger literally. Lots of people with UR tickets(open tickets without reservation) boarded the train. As my train blasted through Manjuri Road, I had cutlets, bread and sauce. Orissa was amazingly beautiful with trees, small houses, huts, small mountains. It was a bit dusty too. The wayside stations were amazingly clean with long platforms. Tatak-Tatak, Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak,Tatak-Tatak.

The track sounds were amazing.


That's me at Konark Sun Temple, Orissa. Pic taken by Sanjeev Rao.

My train reached Jajpur at 1105hrs. After Jajpur, the train kept below 90kph for some unknown reason. We had an unscheduled halt of nearly 15 minutes at Kendarapara Road. The best moment was yet to come. After nearly 10 minutes, I heard a long honk. WAP-4 was coming with an express. I observed that at Kendarapara Road, the tracks curved towards the left. It was a real treat to watching her coming in the curve. The train blasted past Kendarapara Road at nearly 110kph. I was spell bound. It was amazing. Immediately, within a few minutes I spotted another train. It was a Rajdhani. GZB WAP-4#22569 was hauling Rajdhani Express towards New Delhi. The Rajdhani wasn't doing great speed as expected. VSKP WAM-4#20510 was spotted at Cuttack with a passenger. The weather was a bit hot and dry compared to West Bengal. My train reached Bhubaneshwar on time at 1245hrs.

-To be continued.