Meeting those hailing from Ladakh , North east

Meeting those hailing from Ladakh , North east

On different outings in the national capital we came across people hailing from Ladakh and North East. Met Rin Chen from Ladakh who probably runs a resort who told me that inner line permit has been done away with for going to Disket. Mr Chen was of the view that Ladakh Hill Council is able to employ a large number of people from the region and this is a major turnaround. Met one gentleman who is part of faculty in South Campus. Met another gentleman who teaches mathematics in a college of north campus. Both hail from Mizoram. Met two students from Manipur who were taking coaching from a centre in north delhi for civil services. Commuting by metro they have had a mixed experience.  
A couple from Assam, working in a private bank, a manipur guy pursuing Msc from a college in North Campus, the interactions have ranged from the need to give respect to every community irrespective of their numbers to maintaining cleanliness all around.  If clean surroundings are not among different objectives we pursue we are not chasing right goals.

These department people

These department people are supposed to maintain law and order. In the name of maintaining law and order they create nuisance now and then. All across the country they have a poor track record as far as sending fringe elements to play spoilsport is concerned. Their track record in making their men or boys spit or pass filthy abuse has only grown over the years. On january one as we hailed an auto from Patel Chowk metro station in the national capital from nowhere came an autowallah and he spitted with full venom. THis autowallah was no one else than one belonging to their department. This is how they welcomed January One near Parliament Street Police Station.
 THese department men are a law unto themselves. It has been six to seven years these things are happening and no force on earth can mend them. We still can't forget the Ahmednagar experience and what is bothering them.
In the national capital they all started and this trend picked up in the entire country. Like the other day we went to a saloon and here one from a dog squad working in an embassy had taken a seat just before me. THe amount of vulgar abuse he engaged for the next twenty minutes, the duration i was inside the saloon, showed the reach of these department men. They would collect outside your home pass filthy abuse or come on foot or bike and pass filthy abuse. And they would dismiss all these acts as an act solemnised by public.    

Rehman the scooterman dropping me at Somnath private bus stand.

It was Mushtaq at Sabri store who informed me that Ali Ahmedbhai had been to Surat to attend Urs. 

The ride to Somnath; the stay in Somnath

The ride to Somnath; the stay in Somnath

Having checked in a hotel in Khanpur Road in Ahmedabad, the first half of the day was spent in the room, fairly big. THe visit to Camp Hanuman  was accomplished in fareed bhai's auto, the return journey in jalabhai desai's auto. Both these automen radiated a confidence that we find on fewer occasions. It is during these rides i come across Spices of Awadh eating joint that has come up near relief road. In the evening leave for Ahmedabad railway station from where the Somnath Express departs from Platform 10 at 10.15.
Viramgam comes at 11.25, Surendranagar 12.55, Junagadh 4.35, Keshod around 6 and Veraval 6.50 am. In Veraval, there is Just one overbridge at the railway station and to access that from your coach one has to walk almost half a km. In view of this there are some who try to cross over to Platform One through tracks.There are no other overbridges and this situation does not look handy. Even porters are hard to find at Veraval railway station, the scene no better at Delhi Cantt station from where we boarded the train. IN the train we came across one Mr Parekh who has with new ideas as his assignment tool. The mandate of the firm, with new ideas, was to organise events that made the residents of the state seek tourism spots in the state itself instead of vying for other states/directions.A family with Junagadh as its destination was in the coach and so was another gentleman who had completed just under seven hours the ride from Veraval to Ahmedabad in the morning in a personal car and was returning to Veraval by the same train. Howsoever good the roads be, the frenetic speed at which the journey is accomplished should be avoided.

A scooter ride costing 100 rs takes me to Somnath Trust where i am told the room can be availed after 10. Better to seek accommodation in Hotel Shivam. Initially the room allotted had four beds to it, the same changed to two beds late in the evening. It was a Friday when we reached Somnath. A good part of the day was spent inside Somnath Temple. There is an order to the proceedings inside the temple that we all relish. Except for faint noises here and there there was enough momentum to the stay inside the temple. In the evening as i set out for accommodation point, the Bhabha restaurant opposite the hotel is the ideal point for meals.Curd from here is really good. Here a word of praise for Kadi Ben working in Shivam Hotel in Somnath, who radiated a different level of energy. Similar word of praise for Ameera Ben  working in Prakashbhai run bhojanalaya in Dwarka and Ram Jeswani in Ahmedabad. Ram Jeswani was helpful in dropping me to Ahmedabad railway station when we were stuck in relief road, a traffic jam that would have taken hours to disperse. His ability to navigate the narrow alleys next to relief road and confidence in reaching the station a little before the train was to depart could not be missed.

 As for the stay in Somnath, there were enough meeting points and enough deliberations. As we head towards main bazar prabhas patan we come across

-South indian gujarati pav bhaji

- Way to shri somnath trust VIP guest house

- Gajanand Guest House

- Thakar Jayantilal Kantilal store
- Hotel metro

- Jai Bhavani Spoken English classes

- Shivam provision

- Anmol selection for ladies gents and children wear

-  Jay Bhavani computer classes

- Fair price shop sabji market

- Harsh computer

- Shiv shakti kirana bhandar

- Prince jewellers

- Somnath cloth store

- Karan collection

- Rameswar Hindu Hotel

- Raj medical store, neeldeep chemist, saurashtra provision store
- Sabri general store run by ahmad bhai

In shopping complex we come across 

- Mahaveer restaurant

- Somnath bhel house
- shiv shakti restaurant
- madhav tours and travels
- bhuvaneswari tea centre
- Goswami book store 

- Yatrik tours and travels

 Near SBI ATM near Bhabha restaurant there is Mukta Ben running a tea centre cha doodh coffee. The tea from mukta ben tea centre is something to write home about.  Ali the personnel at bhabha restaurant looked to be cheerful. Other staff at Bhabha restaurant looked equally cheerful The stay in Somnath was for three days, all days completed in the hotel which has Jawed and Jas as their personnel. Jawed with whom the interaction was long and liberating spoke in a tone that had a childish charm.The bhel from Somnath Bhel House was the best in the town and this time round i could not take tea from Bhuvaneswari tea centre , something i have repeatedly done in the past. Ahmad Bhai at Sabri general store could not be found as he had gone to attend Urs in Surat.

Somnath story done in 2012 vis-a-vis now
 With a stay of three days given the rush that Somnath trust run guest houses were seeing was huge. One should lay stress on a room in old guest house as it comes for 350 rs and are spacious enough. You are lucky enough if you can get a room in the blocks that are adjacent to the somnath trust run bhojanalaya. The day i reached and waited for a room in 2012, i was amidst some who were prefering to reserve rooms in the new guest house that had recently come up. If i was not mistaken, there was a family comprising over five members and they had booked probably two to three rooms in the new airconditioned guest house and had paid 7400rs . Probably for each room the tariff may have been 1500 plus for a day with a sizeable surety. The gentleman who had come to book the rooms wanted to be doubly sure that ac rooms were being given to him and in response the trust people assured him of Double Airconditioning. The thought that could have crossed many would be the rationale for seeking such plush rooms in Somnath. There have been airconditioned rooms in the old guest house which came for 400 rs in 2007. Perhaps the ac rooms in the old guest house have been dispensed with and the ac facility comes in new guest house. 

Apart from visiting the temple and roundabout the stay in Somnath saw me search for a cyber cafe which i discovered in Prabhas Patan. THis time too i could not access any other cyber point in shopping complex or roundabout. 
Photographers who used to take pictures a few metres away from the temple have been clearly told  to stay away from the entry/exit gate and park themselves near the amul parlour. This time too elaborate iron railings have been put as a security measure and photographers have to operate from behind iron railings.

Reservation centre but no phone booths
Shree Somnath shopping centre has new signboards and some new shops. More merchandise stores have come up. THis time as well i could find an increase in the number of stores in function.
 Absence of std/pco booth in the shopping centre has been hampering the smooth movement of devotees and others. Second there are no vegetable/fruit vendors in the shopping centre either. THis time as well we could not find any std/pco booth and in the shopping centre, the functioning of computerised railway reservation centre  is from 8a.m to 2 p.m. 
AS for Dilsukh tea centre, Abbas the boy had gone to attend other chores when i visited the tea stall this time round. Sohaib was there at the counter.
The stay here for two nights and three days did not provide enough time to visit Veraval. Soaps of handy frame were found at Sabri store. On a Sunday left for a new destination.
THere was enough sunshine during the stay and no smog or pollution to even talk about.  

Sunshine in Somnath

There is enough sunshine during the entire day in Somnath. THe hint of sunshine can be seen around 7-7.30 a.m. and by half past eight a continous pact with sunshine is established which lasts well beyond three. There could be chill in the weather but nothing of the sort that one experiences in the plains of the North. Sunshine which is extensive and elaborate nudges you to stay for a longer duration; the duration could be hours turning to days, days turning to weeks and beyond. The promise that this sunshine would come out of its hideout (or no hideout) each day is assidiously kept, something the metros of the north find it hard to keep, where sustained vehicular pollution adds to a smog and adds to a reality where the sun may not come out the entire day.
To talk about pollution and smog in this part of the world (Somnath and nearby places)  is beyond comprehension as neither exist or have a tendency to exist. One could fault the rising pollution and not that relenting smog for not being energetic enough to do daily chores in the north. Here in Somnath the fabric of the town is such that it does not let pollution and smog set in and this is enough to make you walk for miles together with no hint of sapping of energy. Minus vehicles of all shapes and sizes and lesser the crowd that takes out machines of pollution surprises, the weather is perfect to percolate down to the last layer.

The ride from Delhi to Ahmedabad

The ride from Delhi to Ahmedabad

On a Wednesday decided to board a train to Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Having procured train tickets through internet, the availability of a seat and the available train suggested i seek a premium tatkal ticket for Delhi-Ahmedabad section followed by a tatkal ticket for Ahmedabad-Somnath section. Having reached Delhi Cantt station by 11.30a.m., the Ashram express was supposed to leave from the station around 4pm and this time was utilised in a series of interactions with people across different spectrum.

Posted at Poonch-Rajouri sector
A Rajashthan bound train departed as i entered platform 1 after getting some queries cleared. Came across Asif and two other members from Bangalore who attended Urs in Bareilly and they were not lucky enough to be in time to catch the Rajasthan bound train. Having decided to take Ala Hazrat Express, they made themselves comfortable on the floor of the platform at a point where there is not much rush and fairly clean.  Came across a military personnel hailing from a place near Markana in Rajasthan and posted in Poonch Rajouri sector in J-K. As was evident from his tone and facial expression, the going in Poonch-Rajouri sector and other disturbed sectors across J-K isn't smooth and i thought if at this point of time one is thinking about reengaging through cricket ties it would be highly inappropriate. Situation along the border isn't normal and efforts should be to deescalate than look to a solitary voice here and there that talks rubbish if cricket is ever mentioned as a point of engagement. We came across another young guy working in Clark Inn, waiting to board a train to Alwar. Given the high tariff that the hotel was charging, and its location in Anand Vihar just under 10 kms from where another state (UP)border begins, it wasn't easy to fathom the high rates and their success in roping in high-end customers.

Civil services aspirant
WE came across another gentleman working in SAL Steel in Gandhidham who at some point of time gave a shot at civil services. Past prelims, the Mains happened to be the stumbling block. He was holding employment news newspaper, something we rarely come across these days. Those with whom we interacted felt enough had been spent on ads and access to these summits and meets; the time had come to show the ground results. Even Civil Services aspirants when successful in all three stages should be taken on contract. The amount of load the exchequer takes on account of salaries and pensions of government staff is huge and there has to be a way where contractual pact comes into place for certain percentage of civil servants.
On other scale we see huge sums being spent by states on summits and meets.  Whenever a State advertises on a summit or a meet, it should bear in mind the public money that is being spent and is it all that justified. Fiscal stress the govt's financial department is under and the obligations arising from Seventh Pay Panel recommendations makes the task more difficult. The govt should cut back on foreign travels by a huge margin whether by govt functionaries or those enjoying spg cover battery.  Political parties of any scale should rein in their party office bearers who take to air travel now and then. Air travel by party office bearers now and then is highly inappropriate

While in search for band aid took me to a medical store just after flyover in DElhi Cantt station, the young boy at the store and store owner looked to be polite and simple. It was Mohammad Zaheer, the scooterman, who took and brought me back to the railway station. At the station waiting room came across a driver of a goods train and a retired railway engineer. According to goods train driver, it took eight to nine hours for a goods train to reach DElhi from Agra(distance 180-odd kms), the same being three hours for a high speed passenger train.The lady making a noting of the passengers who took seats at the waiting hall was well mannered. Only if the bathroom at the waiting room could have a door to it.

The train ride
Ashram express leaves at 4 pm(wrist watch), gains traction. Palam comes at 4.05, at 4.07 poor visibility at air tarmac and runway.  At 4 10 bijawasan comes with a board that spells Jatar Panchayat Bhawan Shiv Mndir. The train slows down at bijawasan. Later gains traction. WE come across Ram Avatar, member of ticket checking squad who has spent his eventful years in railways. At 4.17 Gurgaon which looks to be fairly clean (Swachh bharat showing results) . But after the station there is filth around. Patli 4.33, Taj nagar 4.42, Rewari 5.15 Khairthal 6pm, Alwar 6.25, Dausa 7.50 and Jaipur 8.50. WE are told that arguments had turned nasty about a month ago so they have stopped serving tea and food when the train runs towards Ahmedabad.

WE collect food packets from Jaipur station, each coming for 130rs. By and large the food is good except for a vegetable that is soaked in oil and a gulab jamun that can be avoided. (Gulab Jamun is doing no good to anyone).  I requested the TTE to allot me inside lower or side lower berth as the berth no 6 happened to be side upper. I was allotted seat number 47 (side lower) next to the door. In train travelling try to insist (prevail on ticket agent or window ticket giver)on inside lower or side lower; definitely not the one that is next to the door. That on occasions shows the rough side of law and order as abuse flows in plenty by outsiders who don't have reserved tickets and yet take the seat meant for attendants. I pointed this out to a woman with a sprained leg who boarded the train at Alwar, allotted seat number 48, but she did not find this offensive.  Ajmer  comes at 10.55, Abu road 4.30am, Palampur 5.27 Siddhpur 5.50, Unjha 6.05, Mehsana 6.27 Sabarmati 7.25 and Ahmedabad 7.55. Came across Ankit Vyas who had come for all india meet of his company in New Delhi from Ahmedabad. THis meet happens every month in the national capital. Came across another guy who has migrated to Austalia, working in a hotel next to MCG. This gentleman boarded the train from Rewari. Came across Asif or Arif who had gone to Allahabad with his wife to attend a family function.  By and large the crowd inside the train looked to be relaxed and willing to get into different sets of interactions.

Reaching Ahmedabad
In Ahmedabad, Swaroop the porter, rahul the scooterman, fareedbhai, the scooterman, jalabhai desai, the scooterman and Munaf, the keychain maker in Salapose road looked to be humble and well mannered.   All in all, the train ride from DElhi to Ahmedabad was comfortable except for the fact that during night time when the train was at a high speed it seemed as if it would jump the tracks. THis thought may have been misplaced but the bitter truth is the tracks are under stress and the issue of creaking infrastructure, coaches and rail lines need  to be looked into.AS i reached Ahmedabad, i checked into Hotel Mukam where the counter staff and those working in kitchen had changed entirely except for Yousufbhai.