In and Around Temple Road

In and Around Temple Road

Going past Mochi Sahi Square, the aim was to reach the station in time to secure the return ticket. The rush was manageable and yet some passengers desired to be in argumentative mood. Those in the queue and those having fallen out of the same and consequentially fallen out with whom they were sharing space were caught in argumentative spell. I preferred to stand in a queue where howsoever big the rush may be there were few chances of skirmishes breaking out till i was there. Skirmishes did not break out but out were my chances as the lady at the reservation counter showed 30 the waiting for Dhauli Express and for tatkal the next day the query was met with a response that all tickets had been sold and you better get early morning bold.

Before submitting myself to the suggestion that i would come in time the next day to get my tatkal shine, i saw a message on the glass panel that showed who all were eligible for tatkal table. Posessing the identity card was a must and it trickled down to passport, voter card, pan card, identity card issued by central/state govt, student of college/school identity card, passbook bearing the picture of the holder, driving licence and credit card with the laminated picture. Laminated was the stress given the all round credit card fraud in zest.

This lamination brought me to the lingering animation i was subjected to when the laminated pan card was not able to get the perfect xerox in the city of Kolkata. Clarity was missing and on occasions more than once the xerox failed to get the job done. So across Bentinck Street, British Street and Central in Kolkata i moved around to get a new lamination on last Monday as the previous one had come apart. Shop-hopping i was faced with given some opening their store well after 10:30 am and some suggesting that new lamination can't be tried as it would break the fragile card into two. Two wasn't the idea that i was comfortable with as that would keep me shapeless for identity fit. Finally after much search i got one enlightened guy across bentinck street on first floor who did the laminated job not lending the pan card the apprehensive tearing-into-two blow. That was Monday and today being Saturday and here i was face to face with laminated stress on credit card for seeking the tatkal award.


As the way to secure the ticket could not be found, i was thrilled at the prospect as it gave one more day to stay here. The return from Station to Temple Road was on foot given the intransigence of one mode of transport to charge no less than 40 when the same journey was completed in 30. On the way i came across Delicacies serving snacks, soft drinks, confectionaries and bakery products. A little further is Padma hotel, probably from where i had veg pulao/kashmiri pulao in September 2009. Another hoarding sighted was of a hotel Janaki Residency; 3 to 4 hrs stay at Rs 300 and a day stay starting at rs 590.

Returning to my fief, i was of the belief that if no extension could be granted in the place of stay i should have my alternate options on tray. Basiram lodge in particular had the flaunting agenda so decided to stay put with the existing option.
On the way came across Arun medical Store, Allahabad Bank (the bank courteous enough to give me change) and Indane. As for United Bank of India on Bali Sahi, after securing the change with some resistance by one staff member , the message on the door read: " opening mobile banking for this branch soon".

As i am writing this from Darshan Dot Net cyber cafe which has Sathya Sai's picture, the charges here are more than reasonable. Reasonable are not the names etched on the wall opposite me. It has names like Sridevi and some other names not etched properly. Probably who occupied this seat at some point of time had a fascination for the names etched when he had too much of home stretch..