Bananas abound in Bhusawal by Puneet Rajhans

Bananas abound in Bhusawal by Puneet Rajhans


As the crowd hadn't gathered to disperse later at one particular bar-cum-restaurant, the trajectory of collection was explained by the surging crowd at another restaurant, which served meals and had made it a policy to do away with drinks. That brought me back to the interaction of the previous day where the vendor before handing the bananas told me that they had come from Bhusawal. This Bhusawal connection reminded me of the stay in that city and the places i tried for strong tea. Once out of Bhusawal station, there are loads of lodges in acceptable range. In between lodges are provision stores and medical shops. Among them are Arogayadeep Medicals and Balaji Medicals. The road from where buses turn left to go out of the city has a large number of medical shops, provision stores and restaurants. The search for a strong tea had led me to venture out of station. Because the prepared ones are neither strong and too sweet, making it refrain types.
As you step out of station the first hoarding is of one mobile operator stressing on "Baat Mein Hai Dum". Is it so? This hoarding sighting comes with a sighting of a magic soft toy which i had tried the previous night and its movement under close scrutiny for the men it could carry in one piece and the machine driver that looked to be in a tearing hurry.

Kamal restaurant was the one where special cha was tried and given the tummy revelations it gave me the fighting right. Special Cha comes for 12 Rs and normal for five.
Lokmanya Tilak is the other lodge i spot apart from Swastik and Prem Niwas. Next to the Railway Station is the Bhusawal Nagarparishad, established in 1882. Below that is Shri Chtrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sabhagriha.
Spate of newspapers that abound are Dainik Bhaskar, Nai Duniya, Lokmat Times and others.
Post sighting of food joints and State Corporation buses, i make another move to get back to station knowing well that strong tea would be something that won't be there. As i climb stairs, lost count of the number of times since i reached Bhusawal the previous night, the surrounding is defined by a heavy rush. Mostly to do with an announcement of a train going towards Gujarat, with the local who are expected to join the Jalgaon bandwagon. As i secure a place on platform six, the wait appears to lengthen given no fresh announcements about my train. Herein i sight bananas and more bananas. The vendors outside the station were confined to a limited business but inside there are innumerable vendors who appear from nowhere to do brisk volumes the moment a new train is sighted. In all, there have been no less than 14 trains entering/leaving different platforms in a span of three hours and most insiders seem to have fascination for bananas that are in huge supply.
Bhusawal is the epicentre of banana upsurge and given the quantity that comes and disappears from the station, the banana would be defining the Bhusawal Boom. And if it can reach places that are 2000kms apart and yet remain strong and tempting, it shows the fruitful progression of Bhusawal Banana.