The ride to Uttaranchal

The ride to Uttaranchal

It was a Wednesday i decided to leave for Uttaranchal. Took a bus from Kashmere bus depot. The bus  left at 4.45 pm. Going past Shastri Park, Seelampur and Mohan Nagar crossing. Perhaps before Mohan Nagar crossing there is a Modern Building factory. A series of trucks could be seen parked. Going past Sidheswar Nath Mandir with the board showing Dainik Jagran. Somewhere Agra is shown to be 220 kms away. In the first hour as the bus negotiates through a rough road , there are scores of people riding two wheelers with no helmet. Around 5.45 the bus goes past movieworld. Here movies at Rs 60 (gold Class) , movies at Rs 80 (premium Class) are shown, something not visible in New Delhi capital  With single screens all but gone.the multiplexes have honed the skills of those who believe in multitasking.
The bus reached Muradnagar at 6.02 pm. At 6.17 Modinagar water tank is seen.  A hoarding of 2 BHK, 21 lac onwards is seen.  At 6.30 the bus goes past Moniuddin Sugar Mill. Soon we come across a green belt that is thick and tempting. A greenery that eludes us from 4.45 to 6.30 pm. At 6.52 the board shows delhi 63 km away.
When the bus stops at Muzaffarnagar by pass for meals, the water at Sooravanshi food outlet is amazing. The taste and resonance that it leaves is quite appealing. Few areas in the national capital would have come across this rich form of water. Finally the bus reaches Dehradun a lttle after 11pm.

Again a share taxi ride from national capital to dehradun could be something to look at.

Stay in Tirumala

Stay in Tirumala

Having reached Tirupati with meals taken from Srinivasam complex, the next task was to reach Tirumala and take accommodation in Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. The bus ride lasted a little over 40 minutes. The manager of the said mutt i was in touch from Bangalore and he had promised me accommodation for two to three days. In Raghavendra Swamy Mutt the manager mahesh babu was not to be seen during my arrival and guru rajan from the kitchen department and nara hari from the same mutt i came across. About 20 minutes later the audience with the manager revealed his inability to part with a room and for the dormitory as well the inability impression was largely displayed. As a result had to check in uttaradhi mutt.

The stay was for three days, with the rent having been fixed at 500rs a day. There are other rooms in the mutt as well with fare a little over 100 rs, coming with a common bathroom. On a Friday joined the queue a little after eight in the morning. A little  before 12 came to the ticket section. The rush was huge; the best part being there were fewer standstill moments, the crowd movement being registered almost every other minute. There were a series of stairs to be negotiated, all done with the avowed aim of ensuring a seamless movement. After 12, the assembled crowd had been put in different halls. Exit a little after 12.40pm from the hall i am in, the time taken to reach sanctum sanctorum was another 30 odd minutes. Managed to get in and secure a fleeting glimpse of the lord. Came out by 2pm. Nowadays there has been some changes in the queue system as reported in papers where it takes less time and in all there are three lines with pushing and shoving almost absent.

A little before 3.30 went for meals at Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex. The meals refreshing, the Superintendent happenned to be Raghu with Muni Ramaiah taking charge of CRO complex.The following day got into the queue at railway reservation office to secure a return ticket, the effort yielding a waiting list status. Decided to proceed to Tirupati to figure out the chances by other trains and if not that by air from a distant destination. The cyber cafe in Tirupati is near the bus stand. For flights from Hyderabad and those from Chennai to the national capital, the fare looked reasonable going by on spot booking that generally leaves a big hole in the pocket. But the same fare when tried to reason out with airport officials showed a different price tag. In Tirupati airport, the drinking water meant for public is too hot and there are no water coolers outside. As for those waiting in the cars to ferry passengers and others assembled outside airport the drinking water becomes an issue.

The ride to the airport is taxing and with no public transport, except for one bus which departs at 2pm for tirumala everyday,  one has to search for a return transport. Took a lift on a bike and later followed this up with a bus ride. Took meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex after 3pm. While coming out of the complex came across a young lad wrapped in a dhoti who looked to be tired. Engaging in a conversation he revealed to be tired and was preoccupied with thoughts on things to do while entering the complex. Haling from Bangalore, the boy seemed to convey the rush inside the temple had sapped him of the energy that each day brings with. There was another gentleman  hailing from  Mandya or Shimoga who said the Lord of Tirumala was his home god and he visited the place every month.

On a Sunday got into the queue by 6.40 am and was able to get a return ticket by Duronto meant for next day. Left Tirumala by 10 pm. It is advisable that to get a bus seat for Chennai one should book in advance from Balaji Station. While coming to Tirumala from Tirupati, a share taxi ride would be advisable. Similarly if there could be shared taxi ride from Tirumala/Tirupati to Chennai it would be handy for devotees. Having reached Chennai a little after 2am, the benching arrangement next to 6a platform is noteworthy. The ride on Duronto wasn't good; the relaxed template could only be availed once i had a change of seat. Those seated next to you could well be an anthropologist, scientist, scribewallah, someone who is good to talk at and surely disposed to hygiene surroundings. A berth with a large number of occupants is acceptable if things are within limits On a ride from Ajmer in the month of March, there were a series of vacant berths, probably to do with fewer willing to take the train on that particular day

The stay in Tirumala was ok with meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nityta Anandana complex proving to be an enrighing experience. The four streets have an aura of their own. Came across Chandra, the paper vendor near the STD booth which is run by R Anadan. The tea from an outlet near Lepakshi seem to carry different price tags at different hours, with other vendors too charging over rs 7. Rs 7 should be the desired rate and for soaps like medimix which come for 3 rs, the asking rate at places were above six or seven. Similarly other necessities too could have been overcharged and the brunt being borne by common pilgrims. As for those with an i card, the accommodation in TTD rooms/cottages  should be considered. Tirumala one can stay for two to three days if accommodation at reasonable rates can be provided.

Stay in Tirumala

Having reached Tirupati with meals taken from Srinivasam complex, the next task was to reach Tirumala and take accommodation in Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. The bus ride lasted a little over 40 minutes. The manager of the said mutt i was in touch from Bangalore and he had promised me accommodation for two to three days. In Raghavendra Swamy Mutt the manager mahesh babu was not to be seen during my arrival and guru rajan from the kitchen department and nara hari from the same mutt i came across. About 20 minutes later the audience with the manager revealed his inability to part with a room and for the dormitory as well the inability impression was largely displayed. As a result had to check in uttaradhi mutt.

The stay was for three days, with the rent having been fixed at 500rs a day. There are other rooms in the mutt as well with fare a little over 100 rs, coming with a common bathroom. On a Friday joined the queue a little after eight in the morning. A little  before 12 came to the ticket section. The rush was huge; the best part being there were fewer standstill moments, the crowd movement being registered almost every other minute. There were a series of stairs to be negotiated, all done with the avowed aim of ensuring a seamless movement. After 12, the assembled crowd had been put in different halls. Exit a little after 12.40pm from the hall i am in, the time taken to reach sanctum sanctorum was another 30 odd minutes. Managed to get in and secure a fleeting glimpse of the lord. Came out by 2pm. Nowadays there has been some changes in the queue system as reported in papers where it takes less time and in all there are three lines with pushing and shoving almost absent.

A little before 3.30 went for meals at Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex. The meals refreshing, the Superintendent happenned to be Raghu with Muni Ramaiah taking charge of CRO complex.The following day got into the queue at railway reservation office to secure a return ticket, the effort yielding a waiting list status. Decided to proceed to Tirupati to figure out the chances by other trains and if not that by air from a distant destination. The cyber cafe in Tirupati is near the bus stand. For flights from Hyderabad and those from Chennai to the national capital, the fare looked reasonable going by on spot booking that generally leaves a big hole in the pocket. But the same fare when tried to reason out with airport officials showed a different price tag. In Tirupati airport, the drinking water meant for public is too hot and there are no water coolers outside. As for those waiting in the cars to ferry passengers and others assembled outside airport the drinking water becomes an issue.

The ride to the airport is taxing and with no public transport, except for one bus which departs at 2pm for tirumala everyday,  one has to search for a return transport. Took a lift on a bike and later followed this up with a bus ride. Took meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex after 3pm. While coming out of the complex came across a young lad wrapped in a dhoti who looked to be tired. Engaging in a conversation he revealed to be tired and was preoccupied with thoughts on things to do while entering the complex. Haling from Bangalore, the boy seemed to convey the rush inside the temple had sapped him of the energy that each day brings with. There was another gentleman  hailing from  Mandya or Shimoga who said the Lord of Tirumala was his home god and he visited the place every month.

On a Sunday got into the queue by 6.40 am and was able to get a return ticket by Duronto meant for next day. Left Tirumala by 10 pm. It is advisable that to get a bus seat for Chennai one should book in advance from Balaji Station. While coming to Tirumala from Tirupati, a share taxi ride would be advisable. Similarly if there could be shared taxi ride from Tirumala/Tirupati to Chennai it would be handy for devotees. Having reached Chennai a little after 2am, the benching arrangement next to 6a platform is noteworthy. The ride on Duronto wasn't good; the relaxed template could only be availed once i had a change of seat. Those seated next to you could well be an anthropologist, scientist, scribewallah, someone who is good to talk at and surely disposed to hygiene surroundings. A berth with a large number of occupants is acceptable if things are within limits On a ride from Ajmer in the month of March, there were a series of vacant berths, probably to do with fewer willing to take the train on that particular day

The stay in Tirumala was ok with meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nityta Anandana complex proving to be an enrighing experience. The four streets have an aura of their own. Came across Chandra, the paper vendor near the STD booth which is run by R Anadan. The tea from an outlet near Lepakshi seem to carry different price tags at different hours, with other vendors too charging over rs 7. Rs 7 should be the desired rate and for soaps like medimix which come for 3 rs, the asking rate at places were above six or seven. Similarly other necessities too could have been overcharged and the brunt being borne by common pilgrims. As for those with an i card, the accommodation in TTD rooms/cottages  should be considered. Tirumala one can stay for two to three days if accommodation at reasonable rates can be provided.

Reaching Bangalore, leaving for Tirumala

Reaching Bangalore, leaving for Tirumala

Having reached Prashanti Nilayam, and having stayed for two days, the next destination to be approached happened to be Bangalore. Taking Coimbatore Express which departs a little after 5 in the evening, the waiting list of 6 wasn't much of a botheration as it involved a little over five hours journey. The gentleman coming from Mumbai and proceeding towards Bangalore was helpful. He happenned to be s k srikara
sales and application engineer, working in Bangalore. A stiff TTE, who became normal a little later, the transformation came about courtesy a gentleman from Bangalore doing the needful.


Hailing from Dawoodi Bohra Community

Adjacent to my seat there were a handful of people hailing from Dawoodi Bohra Community. Interaction with them brought forth the Bhindi Bazar and its redevelopment. How extensive would be this endeavour, something elaborately spelt by Shekhar, the writer, while doing walk the talk episode. Of late the paper in which the transcript appeared has been short of stories on the north east. One story spelling the last of Maruti 800 rolling out from its plant and the same car being shipped to the North East was quite engaging. It appeared in Eye which had an eye for detail as long as it appeared in A 4 format.  Bring more northeast writers or those hailing from Ladakh onboard. Instead of writing about art exhibition here or solo dressing effort there, bring stories of society in churn. As for the paper from the East,  a series of stories on Jute mill lands that had been taken over by developers as mills had not been functioning for long. On these lands series of electoral meetings took place during campaign period and the page that featured these stories had the facing page on real estate and the empire they were presiding over. The paper from the east is ok but be little careful about ads and on which page they appear.


Relaunch of Maruti 800 and Ambassador

As for Maruti 800, the relaunch should be tried in earnest, same as the need to try relaunch of Ambassador car from its plant in the State of West Bengal. Coming back to Bangalore ride,  the people hailing from Dawoodi Bohra community were in their elements and we discussed with them about redevelopment of Bhindi Bazar and the time it would take to complete the exercise. People were soft spoken and they divulged that one passenger among them had a waiting list of 12 and the TTE the previous night was kind enough to accommodate them. Among others in the coach were students and some destined to travel to Coimbatore.

No response on Sudharshan Token
The train after a series of halts, some scheduled, some unscheduled, reached Bangalore Central a little after 10.20pm. I checked into Subhadra lodge in SC Road after 11. The first night meant bed bugs had to be negotiated and following this night i had to shift to another lodge. Mind you except for bed bugs, there was no iota of inconvenience in Subhadra lodge where the staff is very helpful. Before shifting to Royal Lodge in Bangalore, i visited 16th cross Vyalikavel Malleswaram which houses the office of TTD. Here the TTD temple and the statue of the lord is quite enriching. As for the office it is in its own world, where queries on Sudharshan Token and its availability does not elicit any response. In Tirumala i was told the Sudharshan token has been made online. Till  now Arijitha  sevas had been online. Now even Sudharshan token has take the online route. Of all the pilgrims visiting Tirumala at least 88 per cent don't access net. So how come the online hooter is advisable.

Visiting K C Das outlet
Vyalikavel did not get me the requisite response. In malleswaram there is K C Das outlet, the curd dished out is quite wonderful. Headquarters of K C Das is in Kolkata. Opposite the K C Das outlet in malleswaram is a store whose occupants were kind enough to hand out the change.
Took the bus to reach  vyalikavel and took the return ride in a bus as well after spending almost an hour on the streets to figure out one road in that area which is narrow and sliding down and a has a bus stop on the right. Meals were taken from swathi delux andhra meals from kempegowda bus station.      Met sai sathya narayana who happenned to be editor of sai anantham, the publication coming out from Puttaparthi.

As for kempegowda bus station it is under major renovation, revealing the mammoth of operations during day as well as night time.

Sightings in Bangalore
ttd bangalore
16th cross vyalikavel malleswaram

S C  Road
-balaji provision stores
-royal regency lodge
-royal lodge
-abhishek dress materials
-abhishek bag corner
-new welcome footwear
-sri durgamba lodge
-mayur lodge
-anan regency
-srs travels
-janatha juice corner
-kamat hotel (tea is good from here)
-indraprashtha vegetarian

On  S C Road came across Subramaniam, the cobbler.
On left lane goes kapali theatre road. There is a tea/snack centre. Sometimes coming with moody staff.

On S C Road
srishankar provision stores near here there is a typewriter
raghu the fruit vendor
sri ramakrishna lodge
citi centre
ac shopping arcade
ac shopping arcade monthly holiday 27th of the month. business hours 9.30 am to 10.30 pm
ashok upahar. waiter malesh quite helpful. Opposite ashok upahar is a middleaged lady selling hankerchiefs. The punishing duty hours shows how difficult has been the effort to earn livelihood.

malinga cloth vendor
opposite shopping arcade is santosh airconditioned
badsha stores
central bank of india atm
theatres in the area, amma, triveni and movieland

Leave Bangalore at 1 pm

Reach kempegowda bus station. Take Karnataka Transport Corporation bus from this bus station. The ride is ok.
Reach Vidhan Soudha, take U turn, reach balakundi circle. Shree balaji plywood pic in blue frame is quite appealing.  Reach Lanco hospet toll plaza at 3.29. We are in hotel balaji bhawan around 4.05.  Reach palamner 4.40, reach bangarupalam  at 5.20. Reach chittoor around 5.40 and reach Tirupati 7.30 pm. Take meals from Srinivasam complex and leave for Tirumala at 8. 30. Reach Tirumala around 9.30.

Staying in a hotel is a challenge

Staying in a hotel is a challenge. Looking for simple rooms with attached bath and no other facility, the search and energy expended gets you the room but with a rider which remains invisible for the first few hours. This challenge was amplified in a town of Mussorie recently, where after deboarding the bus, i was on foot for the next three hours to search and secure a room. Rama, Doon Palace Amar,  Sheela, Peak View and some in Camel's Back were some where i made an effort to get the tariff known.
The first hotel which i took in town was in Camel's back coming alongside brouhaha which i could not anticipate. The second hotel looked liveable , and if you could trace commotion after two days , it was a signal that i should leave. Hotels have been known for their hysterical template; some have been known for their peace and their  bid to preserve the same. Mussorie may have brought forward a good number of gentlemen  who were willing to help but for the roof during the night the search and stay was a mixed bag.
The town is good to visit, if possible omit from staying during night. There were scores of men who preferred to visit early morning and leave late evening having been witness to a spectacle of joy and jostling.


 IN Kasauli the gentlemen running the hotel near the bus stand started with a tariff of 800 rs, asking me to come at eight in the morning. By this time the tariff had gone up to 1000rs and a search after two hours in the same hotel the asking went for 1400rs. Garkhal, which comes on the way to Kasauli, the asking rate for 600 rs was in the morning and when i returned after not getting the room in kasauli, the asking rate had gone up to 1200 rs. One boy took me on a bike to a road sliding down suggesting that two kms away from main road of Garkhal, the tariff would be reasonable. It was a bitter experience as the tariff they sought in a hotel was 2000 rs upwards. It was again the second visit to Kasauli and with the help of Chetan, the local resident, a lodge with a resonable tariff i could locate. There were no STD/ISD booths in Kasauli and a stay not spread over two days would be handy.

In Kolkata, there are ample lodges in Chittaranjan Avenue, some coming with the name like City Heart, Avenue and Central. Rates hover between 400 to 500 rs and upwards depending on the rooms. In Lipika Inn and Metro, the first in Surya Sen Street and second near Kalighat, non ac rooms are available on occasions. Both lodges are comfortable with no ruckus seen around.  In Esplanade lodges can be taken with little caution. 

Road discipline and commuters


Issues on road that women and elderly gentlemen would face if corrective measures are not put in place

Reaching Tirumala; stay in Tirumala 

Reaching Prashanti Nilayam

Reaching Prashanti Nilayam

It was early morning when i reached Prashanti Nilayam station to proceed towards Puttaparthi. In the station there are no buses around four or little after that in the morning . So one has to stay put at the station platform for a while. Came across a gentleman who introduced himself as software engineer roaming the platforms at that odd hour probably waiting for a train that would take him to bangalore; coaches to be definitely pulled by at least one engine. Took a shared auto whose other occupants had to visit a medical centre. The auto was not meant for Puttaparthi, and the place where i alighted i had to look for a bus that would take me to Puttaparthi. After a while secured a bus ride lasting over 20 minutes (the road is neat and well laid) and reaching the bus stand of the temple town at a time when fewer were willing to show up.Perhaps the information filtering out suggested that accommodation could be tried in the Prashanti Nilayam Temple complex. There were parents filling forms for their wards as entrance test was in the offing.

A large number of students from Darjeeling enrol for courses in college run by SAthya Sai Trust, with teaching methodology and course fee looking to be quite rewarding. In fact one student suggested that tuition fees are almost negligible. Officials were willing to give dormitory and as for single rooms they had a different set of criteria. Perhaps the identity card should be enough to get a room, something authorities should explore at. As a result, i stepped out of complex and started looking for a lodge. The search for an accommodation took me to S K Lodge, with Mukunda the host looking forward to reward me with a room, the rent somewhere around 400rs, letting the word out that rooms with attached bath can be availed if one does search by himself/herself. THe lodge is inside a lane, with a surety that no amount of nuisance would be forthcoming as residents in and around looked to be disciplined and simple. It was past seven when i left the lodge to gain the first morning tea cup coming against the backdrop of those serving the same hailing from Rajasthan and having joined this enterprise a few days earlier.

Visiting Sathya Sai Samadhi Mandir

After nine or so visited the Sathya Sai Samadhi Mandir, the morning prayer session coming amidst a gathering that looked limited with a hope to swell in the coming days. After paying respects at Samadhi Mandir, one can go inside a hall which too is used for prayer session. Here those not hailing from Prashati Nilayam Trust can just have a look and come out. The Ganesh Temple Fort at the back of the Prayer Assembly Session looks as resplendent as ever and a round on days when you are there would be handy.

Visiting North Indian Canteen
North Indian canteen had some of the best meals on offer during afternoon, with a special mention of butter milk and curd. Vegetables on offer were good, with a little alertness to be shown that spice adding has to be little less. Overall the meals whether during afternoon or early evening hours were exciting and good to the stomach. On the second day visited the western indian canteen, with those serving you from across counter need to be residents of india. Here among other offerings orange juice was in a class of its own. Butter toast and fruits too came handy. Overall North INdian Canteen could be tried for as many days as one wishes to stay if meals with rich fibre and nutritional nudge is what one is looking for. Opposite the North Indian CAnteen is a shop dishing out cool drinks . Here they need to stock with curd, butter milk as well. A bull driven cart brings the cartons everyday; those running the large shop should be equally careful about the labour the bull undertakes and instead of concentrating all on their earnings should spare a little effort to keep the bull and the man riding it in good template.  Adjacent to this large shop is a small shop that offers tea and coffee with little sensitisation on dealing with small demands. At least in the Prashanti Nilayam complex, the human hint should be all pervasive and money mint should be at least controlled. From top officers to lower staff, they need to evolve towards a larger goal, a majority may have endured that sentiment to hone their skills for less profitability, others need to follow suit. One can believe there won't be dearth of resources if commercial colour of the outside world is not allowed to get inside. Still the Prashanti Nilayam Complex has a lot going for it with the need to get a statue or a bust of the Lord right next to the samadhi platform.

Providing a shade
As one enters the complex from the main gate, the distance that one has to traverse brings one with no shade for a good length and perhaps from where the Ram Sita Lakshman and Hanuman statue is up to the point where there is a std booth (some metres after the token counter for south indian canteen), a shade could be raised.
Came across Sridhar Andre from Rajmundhry, belting out the story that from Rajmundhry to Vijaywada it takes three to four hours and from Vijaywada to Prashanti Nilayam it takes over 16 hours by train.  The stay in Prashanti Nilayam was smooth except for one incident where  visiting a restaurant for tea, some three to four persons ( one can understand who they were) tried to create a ruckus because i was all alone during that time. This restaurant is inside and has an appealing picture of sai.  Except for this incident, on other occasions, the tea-taking exercise was wonderful  with probably SAi Surya restaurant whose middle aged staff member was wonderful. The second day when i visited, this staff member, lean and middle height, presented a picture of perfection observing that on that day he was somehow late to leave the bed as always he gets on time.On most of the occasions trust members used to be inside the restaurant sharing exciting tales about the place. Mr Mukunda of S K Lodge was helpful  and so was  Dada Khalandar of tours and travels who arranged a train ticket to Bangalore for a train heading towards Coimbatore.

The Puttaparthi bus stand has enough benches, adding to its attraction are a series of new shops. The water cooler needs to be rejiged to get the best and cold water.The railway reservation counter works for limited hours as there is not enough crowd. Overall the place was good and the cool template that surrounds it soon after three in the afternoon is a surprise of sorts.
As for Yajur Mandir, it could be opened up for general public one to two times in a week or all seven hours between eight and nine in the morning. Let Yajur Mandir be accessible to all.
There is a need for more std/isd booths across the temple town; the tirumala tirupati devasthanam office near water tank showing no tickets for days i wished to visit.Bring buses for morning ride from station to puttaparthi bus stand. Similarly in Tiruapati airport there is a lone bus service towards Tirumala at 2 in the afternoon. No buses before or after that. And look at the airport how far it is from the city.And here TTD air conditioned cars were ferrying passengers. Why waste money in running airconditioned cars/suvs from Tirumala to Airport. Invest the money in wise projects, in removing faulty wiring or old wiring on which acs run in sanctum sanctorum. Sanctum sanctorum has to have best cooling facility with acs with the best wiring and running template. Free meals counter in Tirumala is great. The new iron pillars being put there or digging taking place where Lord Krishna is in a sitting posture near the steps do we need such new iron pillars or digging. Invest wisely. As for the fares they quoted at the tirupati airport ticket counter it was beyond the levels one could have imagined.

Before writing about Puttaparthi railway station, a word or two on the proposed plan to raise new structure in Nizamuddin station. You don't need a tall structure housing food court, enquiry counter, railway reservation counter, waiting hall. Don't waste money, tall structures in public space aren't good. With limited budget try to bring all these in the existing complex. You already have a restaurant which is exceedingly expensive. Commuters in trains are simple, give them simple thoughts. If DRMs are not falling in line or board members visiting abroad without any purpose try to make them see reason. Railways has backlog of projects. Safety is important, these projects can be set aside. Tendering process with all visibility would do a world of good to railways.  
Took a bus from Puttaparthi bus stand to the railway station. One S Reddy who happenned to be electrician took a seat next to me. Puttaparthi had a good collection of banana sellers and so were bananas in plenty in railway station. The railway station has two platforms, with the enquiry on seeking status of train ticket on first floor. Bathrooms in waiting rooms/halls have a stench which needs to be doused.Otherwise the station is in perfect shape with mountains in the backdrop. The book shop has a good collection.

Some sightings in Prashanti Nilayam
On Gopuram gate main road
- Girnar tea ice, tea coffee & more
- indian optics
- Meena crafts
- Sai saundarya
- abs tours & travels sai lakshmi silks
- Restaurant Sai's Agaman
- HDFC Bank Puttaparthi branch
- Help ever net cafe
- Yaseen & Co dealers in Jewellery, handicrafts
- Sai Narayana Guest House
- Neem Tree restaurant
- Hotel Sai Paradise
- Sai towers
- Public telephone STD  & ISD
- Sairam Photo Centre
- Hari Om Cafe & Restaurant
- Shanti Cafe
- Sai Surya Restaurant