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.