Making a note of stay in South India Part II

Making a note of stay in South India Part II

It is little after 11pm i checked in Brahmaputra tourist home in Guruvayur in Kerala in South India. Later I have meals from Krishnapriya hotel.  Just before 12am i am in outer precincts of Guruvayur temple. With Accommodation in Brahmaputra tourist home coming just for a day i search for room in other lodges like Nirmalyam Tourist Home, Previnnya,  Nemini Tourist and RVK Residency. I manage to secure accommodation for two days in RVK Residency. Here i come across Mr Sunil and Mr Madhoo Nair .
Thursday i visit Guruvayur temple. Orderly movement of devotees helps to reach the sanctum sanctorum where sighting the Lord is a moving experience with a wish one could stay for a little longer. A tray full of cash notes can be spotted; it would be better if offerings by devotees is put in the cash box. The temple is neat and clean.  Pal Payasam and other prasadam which could be secured from windows have been relocated outside.

Visiting railway station; meeting Sister Dani Francis
During my stay for a week i took meals from Nandini restaurant where Urmila and Raj Gopal could be seen attending to customers. Tea during the entire stay is taken from Hotel Padma vegetarian and Sarvana Sweets. The Railway Station which i visit on a Friday to secure  Rajdhani train ticket which i later cancel it showcases a station amidst greenery with the conversation with book stall manager Mr K Vidyadharan something to cherish. His book stall displays no less than 30 to 40 magazines in Malyalam, the language spoken in Kerala. I happen to meet Mr Raja Gopal who has spent considerable time in Southeastern Railways, something over 35 years, and is blessed to have a flat in Guruvayur. I happen to meet students of Sri Krishna Iyer Higher Secondary School which has medium of instruction in Malyalam and English. I happen to meet Mr Madhu Sharad of Independent Books who has a range of writing pads, books and has photostat facility as well. On another day came across Sister Dani Francis a Nun teaching English in Little Flower College. Came across students of Guruvayur Devaswom School  (fees is 20,000 rs perhaps for the entire year). Also came across Mr Nandu of Anjali Communications a cyber cafe. I happen to meet three girl students named Krishnapriya, Gopika and Shilpa studying in Sree Krishna Higher Secondary School and are strong in maths.  I came across three girl students studying in Amritha Vidyalaya 10 plus 2 Commerce. That reminds me of three girl students i met in New Delh, Anny Mary hailing from Angamali, Annu hailing from Kottayam and Sneha from Wayanad, studying in colleges of Delhi University. In the national capital i met some nuns hailing from Kottayam.

Visiting Guruvayur temple again
Saturday i had the opportunity to visit Chavakkad beach and and after returning from there i vacated Rugmini Kallyana Mandapam which had given room for a day and i check in Aiswarya lodge where i come across Mr Gopalakrishnan the owner and Mr Hassan the manager. Sunday i had the opportunity to visit Guruvayur temple again where it is mandatory to remove vest before frisking begins. Perhaps frisking could be upgraded to a new level and should not be a half-hearted exercise. All men visiting the temple are supposed to sport Mundu around their waist which in North India is called Dhoti.

Visiting Elephant Sanctuary
On a Monday Mr Sudhir the auto man takes me to a bus stand where Mr Surendar working in Abu Dhabi for the past 25 years guides me on how to approach Elephant Sanctuary and for that one has to visit Punarthur Kotta. Having reached Punarthur Kotta i spot a board which says the behaviour of elephant is unpredictable. There is another board that says: Photography, videography, use of mobile phones are strictly prohibited inside. Another board reads: This elephant is in musth. Visitors are requested to keep safe distance and not to stay here for a long time.
According to officer Mr Murali there are 54 elephants, including five female elephants. Padmanabhal is 80 years old, considered to be inspired by Guruyappan. Another elephant Ramankutty is 76 years old. He has been winner of elephant rice for 10 to 15 years.  As for the duration for which the elephant sanctuary has been there it has been 25 years. All elephants are chained. They are taken for walk in the evening. During walk chains are loosened. The ride back to East Nada is accomplished in an auto with Mr Satish at the helm.

Visiting Trinity Travel &Tours for booking air ticket; putting surcharge on multiple cars in Delhi
On a day when i visit Trinity Travel & Tours Pvt Ltd to  book a air ticket from Kochi to Delhi i come across Mr Joshy, Reshma and Seeja. Mr Joshy was of the view that Delhi the national capital was highly polluted and here one is reminded of multiple cars that one owned. Most probable solution could be a hefty surcharge each year on any household having a second car which could considerably lower the vehicular pollution with surcharge going up for vehicles that were more expensive. Increasing metro fare in Delhi was not a wise move as findings revealed there has been a drop in number of commuters taking Delhi Metro and to suggest there were many holidays in the month of October is a case of not stating the truth, a story shown in NDTV.
Tuesday i visited Guruvayur temple for the third time. As usual there is rush with orderly movement of devotees. Sighting Lord Guruvayur in sanctum sanctorum takes your blues away. The very fact that Spick-and-span surroundings of the temple is seen round the year is something true for other temples in South India.
During my stay i happen to meet  Mr N R Nair who stays in Guruvayur and has been a scientist in Delhi earlier. There is Mr Udayan staying in Guruvayur for the past 35 years.  In Variety Shop (for handkerchief) i come acrosss Mr Narendar at the counter.

Leaving Guruvayur for Kochi
With a flight ticket procured from Trinity Travel & Tours Pvt Ltd Tuesday evening i left Guruvayur for Angamali to reach Kochi. Reaching Guruvayur station a little before six pm i spot a bomb disposal squad van. I take the train headed towards Chennai. There is Mr Mohammad who has spent a considerable time in the Gulf and at present staying in Guruvayur and travelling to Madurai. There is another gentleman travelling to Kudankulam about 200 kms from Guruvayur. The train leaves at 9.15. There is Mr Manoj a teacher in Hindi who boards the train from Thrissur. Places as varied as Alleppey, Malappuram, Idukki, Alwaye and Ernakulam of Kerala State figure in conversation in the train. Angamali comes at 10.50pm. I hail an auto with Mr Mani at the helm. I am in Kochi airport at 11.05 with a woman personnel of CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) taking a look at the ticket and identity card.

In the airport there are different screens displaying different new channels like Manorama News or Asianet News and some news channels like NDTV, CNNIBN beamed from New Delhi. In the airport i come across an assistant professor of north campus of Delhi University. There is a couple whose daughter works in excise department in Delhi. There is a family headed towards Dubai. There is Mr Philip of Indian Railways. The plane leaves at 2 am and reaches Delhi by 5 in the morning.  For over 20 minutes the pilot is making rounds of the airport with no idea of the runway in which the aircraft has landed and the bay at which he wants to park.

For two weeks i stayed in South India covering parts of Chennai, Rameswarasm, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thrissur, Guruvayur and Kochi. Providing the Perfect Complement to my stay was an environment which was largely clean and not toxic, the exchanges with people from across sections largely cordial and a movement that was seamless and not troublesome.

Watching TV Channels
Watching TV Channel DD Podhigai featuring Rangoli on a Sunday from 7 to 8 pm, another featuring Kyyil Thoppu that too on a Sunday was a mixed bag. Watching Laila O Laila a Malyalam movie featuring Mr Mohanlal (Mr Mohanlal Viswanath Nair) and Ms Anjali on Manorama TV was something to cherish. Watching Listening Post on Al Jazeera which had a story on a detention centre in Australia and how detainees were at the receiving end was interesting. Watching CNN International and the reportage on new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile fired by North Korea and the threats that it spawned showed utter callousness of the international community in the past to rein in this rogue leader. China has to stop all trade with North Korea and be on the same page when international response is to be delivered. There are no easy solutions to this Korean crisis.
As far as Middle East is concerned perhaps some movement should be seen. Especially the Saudi Arabia led blockade against Qatar should be lifted and diplomatic ties established. Perhaps a unified GCC would come handy to tackle different issues in the Gulf. On a different level in the national capital i happen to meet Mr Amin Khan hailing from Rajasthan working in Saudi Arabia where petrol cost 65 halala (less than one riyal) to a litre as against over Rs 70 in India.

Gujarat election is just an assembly poll; limit on travels by politicos
Some are reading too much into Gujarat Elections. Allegations and counter allegations have turned this poll battle to a circus. The Rafale Jet Deal is the best to date and nothing could have been better than this. News Channels in New Delhi and Gujarat are trying to show that this election would be a game changer. Well nothing of that sort would happen.  It is just a state election and the verdict here should not be tied to the polls of 2019 which are still one and a half years away. There should be a limit on number of travels that politicos undertake across length and breadth of the country each year. It is on public money on which they travel and it is on public support they babble. There are too many polls each year in our country.  Perhaps all assembly elections and Parliament elections should be clubbed together (held at the same time) once in five years and that too with transparency brought in poll funding.

Making a note of stay in South India

Making a note of stay in South India

It would be prudent to make a note of my stay in South India covering parts of Chennai, Rameswaram, Madurai, Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, Thrissur, Guruvayur and Kochi, effectively speaking states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India. Having taken an early morning flight from New Delhi Airport (perhaps from Terminal 1D) , i reached Chennai a little after 11am on a Wednesday. The flight fare was steep with no proceedings as such that could break this heightened fare heat. In Chennai it was time to look for a lodge in the vicinity of Chennai Egmore station. There are no easy ways to approach the local station to take a local towards Egmore; more adding to the trouble are the less sighting of autos that would take you to your destination. Perhaps the persuasive skills of taxi men worked and i took a taxi ride - having negotiated the fare-  that took me to Anna Salai. The entire travel made up of over 20kms took more than an hour and the taxi fare coming around 500rs. All along i resisted the taxi temptation but seeing no alternative i tried this option. It would have been better to take a local train, the station though is opposite the airport the fast moving traffic halts your movement. Buses do ply on this route but with the weather humid and taxing i didn't bother to check about them.

Staying in Hotel Ammu Palace in Anna Salai
I stayed in Hotel Ammu Palace, located in Bootha Perumal Street, Anna Salai with not to miss the opportunities which i had secured to stay in Ammu Palace in the past. The hotel owner happens to be a man from minority and very humble and i have had the opportunities to speak to him from New Delhi.  Later i head to Egmore side to take meals from Sangeetha restaurant coming for Rs 95(hope they would have not raised it further) the return of five rs is done by unwilling hands. The train ticket to Rameswaram is procured from Chennai Egmore. In the LIC Mount Road Wellington Plaza in the vicinity of which is my lodge there is a Coffee House which serves one of the best prepared teas in the city.
Later i took an auto to reach Chennai Egmore station  which has no porters and to approach platform six and seven is a hard task . Here in the station i came across Mohammad Shah Alam selling samosas (Indian food made from vegetables, spices, wrapped in pastry and fried). Hailing from Barauni in Bihar Alam gets the opportunity to visit his home state every second or third month with a word of praise for the administration in the state of Tamil Nadu and effective governance seen all around.

The train ride from Egmore to Rameswaram
According to wrist watch the train starts at 5.05, stops to start again at 5.10pm. Goes past Madras Christian School at 5.15, Coovam river 5.17, ST. Thomas Mount 5.24, Pallavaram 5.27, Tambaram 5.35, Vellimmai engineering college 6 and SRM University 6. Between 5.35 and 6 pm the train has slow speed, fairly good speed after 6. At 6.02 Kottaghuthur station and around 6.14 after a large lake few houses amidst greenery can be spotted. At 6.15 Chengalapattu Junction with a lake in the background is seen.

After AG Church there is a fair degree of greenery. At 6.40 we are in Madurakantam station, at 6.45 in Melmaruvathur, a fairly clean station with a railway personnel in a safari suit holding a green torch. At 7.45 we are in Villupuram. At 8.15 comes Tiruven. Somewhere in the middle of the night come Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram. At 4.12 am we are in Rameswaram almost half an hour before scheduled arrival. That early morning it would not have been possible to get a lodge/hotel and i stay in the station for the next one and a half hours. Looking for a lodge i first tried in the North Car street. A suggestion coming from a gentleman that i take a locker would have been inconvenient given the stay that was to go beyond two days.

No Rooms in Ramanajaneya Chatram; staying in a lodge in railway station road
The lodge where i had stayed about three and a half years ago, Ramanajaneya Chatram, the manager of the same Mr Girish expressed his inability to give a room citing prior bookings. Other lodges/ residential points in the North Car Street like Udupi Chatram, Sri Ram Lodge, Chola Lodge in the vicinity of Ramanajaneya Chatram either had no personnel manning the reception desk or were in no state to let out rooms. As the automan took me to  Varthakan street, it is also known as railway station road, Hotel Queen Palace was looking like the probable lodge where i could stay. The manager of Sumathi Lodge called us and expressed his readiness to part with a room on the first floor. I would have got a room in Hotel Queen Palace but Sumathi Lodge manager was more eager to give a room.

Later i took tea from SS Grand restaurant. The idli (a savoury cake which is traditional breakfast in South India) and tea from SS Grand was something to relish about. Just before noon had the opportunity to visit Ramanathaswamy (Lord Shiva) temple.

On Friday visited the temple after 10 in the morning and i was told it was closed for the entire day except for early morning between 4 and 6 am. Afternoon took meals from a restaurant in South Car Street. Later purchased a bag and a belt from Mahadev Sea Shell shop in West Car Street run by Mr Purohit from Rajasthan. In the evening visited Tech Park, the cyber cafe in West Car Street and booked a train ticket from Madurai to Nagercoil. The staff in the shop and cyber cafe were quite cooperative. In the evening visited SS Grand restaurant. The Hanuman Temple across the road has a charm of its own.

Sumathi Lodge Manager rude
On Saturday the manager of Sumathi Lodge on station road was very rude. As i vacated the room, around seven in the morning, and expressed my desire to keep the luggage in the store room he told me to keep the luggage in the railway station. When i told him my train from Madurai to Nagercoil was at 1 in the night and and i would be leaving by bus from Rameswaram after 12 pm how could i keep the luggage in railway station as i had railway ticket only from Madurai railway station and not from Rameswaram railway station. What on earth brought a change in his behaviour was not known and after much persuasion he agreed to keep the luggage. A couple from the state of West Bengal were on their way to secure a room in Sumathi Lodge and the manager as usual was nice to them in the beginning with the couple not knowing how rude the manager could get at times. When i came from Ramanathaswamy temple, the manager again enquired when i would remove the luggage. He was again in a fighting mood and seeing his attitude i took the luggage and walked all the way to North Car Street.  It was nine am and i tried different lodges for keeping the luggage. The personnel at Sri Ram Lodge were prepared to keep the luggage for a fee for a short duration.

Collecting Mysore Sandal Soaps
After collecting Mysore Sandal Soaps and visiting outer precincts of the temple i took the luggage and reached the Rameswaram bus stand at 11 am, one hour earlier, given the difficulty in keeping the luggage. In Rameswaram, R K Hotel Bus Stand stall managed by Mr Ramraj and he was very helpful. A little later i got the bus. The bus starts from Rameswaram at 11.23/24. Goes past Daiwik Hotel, Hotel Royal Park.  The bus reaches Mattuhavani Integrated Bus Terminus , Madurai at  3.20pm

Automan drops me at East Chitrai Street in Madurai
Here i had some snacks and five sets of tea right outside the main restaurant. The lady serving the tea was simple and smiling. The ride from Madurai bus stand to Meenakshi Amman temple was accomplished in an auto costing 150 rs. The automan went by the name Veera. He dropped me on East Chitrai Street of the temple. And the Bhagyalaxmi Lodge where i am supposed to stay is in West Chitrai Street. With no porters in sight i walk all the way from East Chitrai Street to West Chitrai Street. Here i get the room in Bhagyalaxmi Lodge with manager Mr Arunachalam at the desk.

Visiting Meenakshi Amman Temple
Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai i visited in the evening. Frisking and metal detectors can be seen at the entry point. It took more than an hour to get darshan with the temple structure looking as vibrant as ever. Being a Saturday there was rush inside the temple and the proceedings were in fairly good order. The five sets of tea that i had at Mattuhavani Integrated Bus Terminus and the long walk to West Chitrai Street brought some stomach disorder. So i decided to have curd rice from  Meenakshi restaurant.

A little before 12 a.m i left for Madurai railway station. My train for Nagercoil left a little after 1 a.m. A little before six a.m the train reached Nagercoil and i took a general ticket for onward journey to Kanniyakumari. In 20 minutes i reached Kanniyakumari. I get a room in Triveni Hotel which is fairly clean.

Stay in Kanniyakumari
Having secured a good sleep, Monday was the second day in Kanniyakumari. In little over 15 minutes from Devdas store which i visited to get writing pad i reached the Kanniyakumari temple. The temple is fairly clean and the movement of the queue inside has a semblance of order. Sighting the Goddess is a moving experience and the idol looked as radiant as ever. The stay in Kanniyakumari was for three days. As you enter Vivekananda Ashram few metres away on the right side is a Mahaganapati temple which sends good vibes. Meeting Mr Velapan the security guard in Vivekananda Ashram. I came across Mr Vativael from Pondicherry and a family from Coimbatore. They were on a vacation to the temple city. Ganesh the automan was very helpful. Mr Abdul from Aashiq footwear was kind enough to replace the soul of the shoe. On way to railway station there is Wonder Wax and the board lays emphasis on the fact that it is India's first Wax Museum.

The temple city has a charm of its own flanked by tourist arrivals round the year. The clean air and clean water puts it in a different template from metros of India which have excessive pollution. A measure in Delhi city like a surcharge once a year on any household having second car from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 for cars from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and a surcharge once a year of Rs 60,000 to Rs 90,000 for cars from Rs 5.5 lakh to  Rs 12 lakh would help to tide the crisis. Further, cars being sold through draw of lots in a year (3000 cars in a year) in the national capital of Delhi would help to check vehicular pollution.

Kanniyakumari has fewer vehicles and fewer newspapers promoting sale of vehicles through full page ads. In the temple city, the people took comfort in public transport though the speed at which they ran was questionable. Here in the station i came across Mr Sukumar of Jan Aahar outlet, Kavita of HPMC Pure Apples oulet and Janki at the railway reservation counter. A gentleman hailing from Uttaranchal whom i had spotted at Mahaganapati temple in Vivekananda Ashram was expected to take the same train. The porter who went by the name Mr Vardajan was kind enough to take the bag to the train coach.

Leaving Kanniyakumari
The train for Kanniyakumari leaves at 10.34. Changanaseri comes at 4.37. A fully alert woman guard is seen at 4.55. At 5 pm we are in Kottayam station and i reach out for tea made with tea bags. Ernakulam comes at 6.25,  Idappali at 6.45, Kalamasseri at 6.50, Aluva at 6.56. At 7.02 we spot Periyar Lake famous for Shivratri festival.  At 7.05 we spot the all lit up runway of Kochi Airport.
At 7.09 a fairly clean Angamali station comes. At 7.55 we are in Pudukad and at 8.25 we are in Thrissur. Here i deboard. The ride from Kanniyakumari to Thrissur took a little under nine hours. In Thrissur i come across a guy studying in SRM College/University Chennai and another guy doing business in Bangalore. The SRM guy has come with an elderly gentleman who time and again reminds me about the train to Guruvayur. He is calm and composed. There is a family that hails from Nepal.

A little after 9.30 a local train comes that goes all the way to Guruvayur. I manage to stay for one week. Apart from Guruvayur temple i was lucky enough to get an opportunity to visit Chavakkad Beach and Elephant Sanctuary.

Leaving Vaishno Devi; Reaching New Delhi

Leaving Vaishno Devi; Reaching New Delhi

After a stay of three days the return journey started from Vaishno Devi Shrine at 11.30 on a Monday night. Mr Ghulam Qadri is the pithoo who comes with me. Came across Anoop Singh who had been coming every month to Vaishno Devi Shrine. Came across Shah from Varanasi, Raj Kumar from Jammu coming to Vaishno Devi Shrine every month. Came across Sonu seeking alms. My best wishes to him. At 12.12 we had almost covered 2.25 km.

Monkeys experience pain during night; reaching Ban Ganga
At 12.42 we reach Yatra slip counter. I am told by Ghulam Qadri the monkeys that you see lying subdued is due to the pain in the head which they often experience during night. Around 2am we were in Himkoti. In Himkoti i come across pithoo Shahnawaz who had come with me while i was ascending. In Himkoti Bhojanalaya the man at the cash counter is throwing the change and the food slip. Perhaps he could be little considerate. On the way to Katra there is Ratan Lal playing drums.  On the way there is Muskan Jewellers from where we collect pen which i later lose it in the national capital. At 3.10 we are in Ban Ganga. There is Rahul and Sunny in the auto who have come from Hyderabad.  They took a flight from Hyderabad to Delhi and from Delhi to Jammu on Monday morning. Perhaps they can't trace the hotel in which they stayed in Katra so automan decides to drop me first at the station. I reach station by 3.35 am which is largely deserted. Here in the station a gentleman makes inquiry whether Malwa Express which i am supposed to board would be going through Amritsar in Punjab. I come across a RPF man perhaps with the name Raj Kumar who is on duty during night and his smile is enough to win admirers.

Road from Ban Ganga to Ardhkuwari should not be opened for vehicles
On my return journey from Vaishno Devi i am told of a road built from Ban Ganga to Ardhkuwari which the Shrine Board wants to throw open for vehicles to ply. That should not take place as it would hit hard the livelihood of tens of thousands of people, some say close to 80,000 people (that figure may be a bit exaggerated), engaged as pithoos, carrying palkis and going with ponies. We need to keep the employment of these set of people in mind as they come from districts as far as Rajouri and other places in Kashmir.

Meeting Couple who stay in the vicinity of New Delhi
The Katra station is all lit up. Recite Sunderkand on Platform 1. In the coach i get to meet different set of people. There is a couple recently married and very humble. They are staying in Indirapuram in National Capital Region. The man is working in Wipro company in Noida and the woman is working as a teacher in Jhansi. They get to meet during weekends. My observation that the woman needs to shed her weight as women of late have been experiencing health/heart issues is perhaps not taken kindly by one of them. I was at fault for making that observation. The man's father has retired from Ministry of Agriculture and for a pretty long time stayed in Sarojini Nagar and R K Puram, both government colonies in New Delhi.  The man whose name i could not get has travelled extensively and has been to Ladakh as well. It was a bike ride and he went in a group. Probably what i could gather from the conversation was his chance to visit  Disket in Ladakh as well.  There is a Mr Vinod Kumar Yadav who has brought his parents to Vaishno Devi. Mr Yadav works in Bureau of Indian Standards in Chandigarh. He is bound for Jammu and from there he would be taking a flight to New Delhi.

Train leaves Katra; large number of tunnels on way
The train leaves at 6.50 am. First Tunnel comes at 6.59, 7.05 bridge, 7.05 tunnel, 7.06 stops, 7.12 starts again 7.13 tunnel, 7.15 tunnel lasting more than a minute, 7.16 tunnel lasting more than a minute, 7.24 Chak Chak Rakhwal, 7.24 tunnel lasting more than a minute, 7.29 tunnel, 7.29 tunnel, 7.35 Udhampur, 8.13 Manwal, 8.20 tunnel, 8.21 tunnel, 8.22 tunnel, 8.55 Jammu,  9.25 Bari Brahman, 9.50 Bharoli, 10.55 Pathankot Cantt, 12.46 Suchi Pind, 12.53 Jullundhur Cantt. Here there is rush of people towards general coach. At 1.12 we are in Phagwara, 1.15 Sanehwal, 2.40 Khanna, 2.58 Sirhind. The train is in full flow between 3 and 3.20 pm. Get the opportunity to have tea made from tea bag which can lift your mood vis-a vis the prepared tea which isn't good. Perhaps there is no provision of black tea during entire journey. At 3.20 we are in Rajpura, 3.40 Ambala; here a man from Motihari in Bihar making an enquiry about train to Varanasi. There is another gentleman Surendra waiting at Ambala platform for his train to Vadodara.

Amin comes at 5.07, Karnal 5.26. Get to meet Mr K Mandal from Kolkata in Karnal on Platform 1. At Sonepat a girl pursuing BA LLB from a Jindal Institute in Sonepat takes seat. Her father is in State Bank of India posted in Bhopal. Occasionally she is on her smart phone and sometimes peering through window. A very humble girl who is proud of his father being very down to earth. Perhaps she doesn't take it kindly when i suggest mobiles are a big irritant these days. My best wishes to BA LLB girl studying in Sonepat and the couple from Indirapuram both of whom wish to know the issues on which i blog.

At  8.05 we are in New Delhi railway station. Here i meet porter Mr Meena who is kind enough to take the luggage to Ajmeri Gate side of New Delhi railway station. Reach home a little after 9 pm. The visit to Vaishno Devi Shrine was great and so was sighting of pindies. Slokas in Sanskrit being played were something to cherish. Never to forget the large number of people i came across and the big greetings we exchanged. Those engaged in securing the temple premises should be alert round the year. Vaishno Devi is a gem of a place to be frequented at regular intervals.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SERENA WILLIAMS AND ALEXIS OHANIAN

Big Congratulations to Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian on getting married. Pictures of Wedding Day with the child were great as shown in NDTV.Com. Picture of Serena with sister Venus was great as well. Best wishes to entire members of the family including Venus Williams. May God Bless You All.

Two Days and No Volume during Sai Proceedings beamed from Shirdi (Ahmednagar)

 Message for those running www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/live darshan site

It has  now been two full days when there has been no volume from the live proceedings beamed from Shirdi (Ahmednagar).
The site http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/live_darshan/ has no volume since Wednesday.  Even on Thursday there is no sound. It is in mute mode. Why it has been kept in the mute mode nobody knows. Devotees are finding it difficult to do aarti during different time of the day. Please try to bring back the volume. We would be grateful.
The SVBC Channel beamed from Tirumala has clarity of sound as well as picture round the day round the year. Please try to restore the volume in the live proceedings of Sai temple beamed from Ahmednagar for the convenience of devotees.

No Volume during Sai Aarti From Shirdi (Ahmednagar)

 Message for those running www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/live darshan site

The site http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/live_darshan/ has no volume since Wednesday.  It is in mute mode. Why it has been kept in the mute mode nobody knows. Devotees are finding it difficult to do aarti during morning time day time and evening time. Please try to bring back the volume. We would be grateful.
The SVBC Channel beamed from Tirumala  has clarity of sound as well as picture round the day round the year. Please try to restore the volume in the live proceedings of Sai temple beamed from Ahmednagar for the convenience of devotees.

Staying in Vaishno Devi

Staying in Vaishno Devi

After taking black tea from Pooja Halwai Shop which is the only eating joint serving black tea in Vaishno Devi i return to Parvati Bhawan. As i get ready i come across a family from Yamunanagar in Haryana which has come with their daughter.  Here in Parvati Bhawan a set of bathrooms are fairly clean. Here i come across a personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) posted in Pune who has had the opportunity to visit Ahmednagar as well. I return the blanket and vacate the bed. I collect the prayer diary from the cloak room and head to the temple. There is no queue. I get inside the temple in little under 10 minutes.  Giving a laminated picture of Lord Venkateswara to the priest he asks me if i have come from Tirumala. As i come out i head to Shiv Gufa and Hanuman Temple. Later i deposit the prayer diary and take a seat on a bench near Bathing Ghat. I visit J&K bank ATM and come across a man hailing from Kerala. The police station and J&K Bank ATM is the final point beyond which nobody can go as there are only hills.

Hike in Delhi Metro fare is unjustified
There is a family from Jhansi; there is a family from Bhopal; there is a family from Aurangabad in Bihar which has one of its member working in Delhi Metro and he defends the hike in fare by Delhi Metro given the raise the staff had to be given. There has been all round criticism of this fare hike which is pinching a large number of commuters. The minimum fare begins at Rs 10 and for anything above 2 km it is rs 20, the maximum fare is rs 60 and all this is unheard of. The minimum bus fare begins at rs 5 and the maximum going to rs 15. We need to discourage the people from taking out their personal transport on road and that was primarily the reason why metro was introduced with the added benefit of providing connectivity. If corrective measures are not taken it would hit the poll chances is the argument put forward.

There is a man from Amritsar doing business there. There is a family from Patna; there is a family from Sultanpur; there is a family from Sharanpur. There are different set of families from Panipat and Sonepat. There is a man from Pathankot who has been separated from his group while coming from Katra to Vaishno Devi Shrine. There are boys from Jullandhar; there is a man from Jammu; there is a boy from Amritsar working in the hotel industry in the front desk.

Frequent Announcements
Announcements are being made for Aarti. On frequent basis Announcements are being made for devotees who are walking from Katra to Vaishno Devi Shrine on cleanliness, health, moving in a group and refrain from using polythene and plastic. There is also frequent announcement on health camps along yatra route. There is a family from Berhampur in Orissa taking meals from Manokamna Bhawan 1 and i tell them about the places i have visited in Orissa like Puri and Balasore. As i head towards J&K Bank ATM i come across a family from Roorkee in Uttarakhand whose son is working in Gurgaon in HR Department in a firm.
There is a group from Hassan in Karnataka. As for their journey to Vaishno Devi they inform me they first came from Hassan to Bangalore, then taking a train from Bangalore to Agra, Agra to Delhi and Delhi to Katra. There is a family from Varanasi. There is a family from Kotdwar and they would be taking a flight from Jammu to Dehradun. There is a family from Jammu with the head of the family posted in Border Security Force (BSF). There is Mr Tulasi from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu who has come with his family. I tell Mr Tulasi about the places i have visited in Tamil Nadu like Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari, Madurai, Kanchipuram and Chennai and a person from North India having visited these places he takes this as a compliment.

There is a man from Katni in Madhya Pradesh. There is Mr Ram Surat from Varanasi. In fact the number of families and number of groups from Varanasi could run in multiples. There is a family from Kharagpur in West Bengal. There is a couple from Haldia in West Bengal; there is another couple from Nadia in West Bengal. There is Mr Prabhakar Rao from Vishakapatnam who took a flight from Vishakapatnam to Delhi and from Delhi to Jammu. There is Mr Sandeep Kumar doing business in mobile accessories in Amritsar who frequently goes to Chandni Chowk in Delhi for business purpose. There is  man from Agra who says petha of Agra is the only registered sweet in the country. There is a family from Pathankot which comes to Vaishno Devi once a year.  There is Mr Babu Ram from Amritsar who has been coming since 1973.  There is Mr Lakhan Panigrahi from Berhampur in Orissa. There is Mr Gopal Sharma at Parvati Bhawan. Get to meet a policeman from Vaishno Devi police station who probably goes by the name Mr Janak Singh. He has been recently posted in Vaishno Devi and has had stints in Doda and other places of J&K.

There is Mohammad Rizaq, Shamsher Singh, Mohammad Ramzan, Jan Mohammad all working as pithoos or carrying palkis. Most of them happen to be from Rajouri. There is Baldev Raj in security in Vaishno Devi Shrine. There are men engaged in cleanliness going by the name Ashok Kumar and Preetam.  There is Naresh at locker room 2 and 3.

Slokas in Sanskrit
Some of the slokas and hymns in Sanskrit and Hindi in praise of Vaishno Devi  Ma being played go like this.

Ya devi sarva bhuteshu Shakti rupena samsthita

Sarv Ambike Gauri Narayani Namostute

Namaste Saranye Shibe

Ma Tu sherawali, Ma tu paharawali  Aaya Bhakt jholi khali

Ma sher par sawar hokar Aayi hai  Darshan Ki shub ghadi aayi hai

Tera bulawa jab aaya mata raniye Mein ek pal na gavaye mata raniye. Pahado par tera dera wahi lage man mera

Tu sab duniya ki wali hai

Perhaps Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra could also be played for the benefit of devotees.
During Aarti Om Aim Hreem Kleem Chamundaye Viche mantra is sung regularly.


I am told about a Pithoo dhaba run by shrine board. The food provided there is stale. So all pithoos prefer to have their food in Manokamna Bhawan and Manokamna Bhawan 1. Perhaps the shrine board could look into this.
There are series of Cera water tanks and they are huge tanks. Perhaps the people would be cleaning these water tanks regularly and locks should be placed on them for safety reasons. About 20 metres from bathing ghat there is a Screen which has a dustbin below. Pindies are being shown on screen. The dustbin should be removed from there.
Near Helicopter booking centre there is urinal on right. Next to that there is a path leading to the shrine. This urinal should be removed.

Return Journey
The return journey started from Vaishno Devi Shrine at 11.30 pm on a Monday night. Mr Ghulam Qadri is the pithoo who comes with me. He has four daughters and two sons and all along the way he is a man which most would cherish to interact with. Mr Qadri has taken a room on rent in Katra and on the days when he does not get customers he goes back to his room. As for security inside the shrine there are frisking at three spots. That is admirable. All women should be frisked thoroughly as is done with men as that would bring safety to the proceedings. As for machines with which baggages are screened effort should be made to see they are in order and such screening machines should be placed in places where search is done by hand between  Ban Ganga and Shrine(Bhawan).