Leaving Somnath; Reaching Dwarkadish; Leaving for Nageshwar, Okha; the real gems

Leaving Somnath; Reaching Dwarkadish; Leaving for Nageshwar, Okha; the real gems

After staying for two days in Tanna Guest House of Somnath Trust i decide to shift to Shyam Guest House on Jain Derasar road in Somnath. Mr Wasim of Shyam Guest House  repeatedly persuades me  to take a well furnished room for two days. Hail an auto driven by Mr Altaf and reach Shyam Guest House on a Sunday. After getting ready head to Somnath temple. In the afternoon head to Bhabha restaurant to take meals. In the evening head to Veraval to do a story from Cyber Town (the Digital Online Hub) run by Mr Jaydeep C. Chauhan. Mr Chauhan is kind enough to lend his laptop. He is very humble and i extend my best wishes to him.

Sightings in Somnath
On way to Prabhas Patan
- Way to Shree Somnath Trust VIP Guest House and Sagar Darshan Atithi Bhavan
  All sea facing room
- Raj restaurant Chinese, South Indian
- Gajanand Guest House
- Hotel Metro
  Samrat restaurant ghar jaisa khana (Home Food)
- Nandi hotel
- Hotel Shiv Darshan
- Bhola Guest House
- Sagar general store
- Raunaq ladies wear
- Sheetal ice cream
- Shivam Provision
- Santosh Tea Stall
- V L Shah Dharamshala
- Mira Enterprise
- Gokul Dairy farm
- Shraddha beauty parlour
- Shiv Shakti kirana bhandar
- Nikunj Digital Studio
- Vivo Jayant Telecom.  Here AC is very effective
- Prince Jewellers
- The cool
- Ashrat traders
- Neeldeep chemist
- Sabri medical store Here i Meet Mr Yaseen
- Sabri store Here i meet Mr Ali Ahmed bhai whom i could not meet on previous occasion as he     had to attend Urs in Surat.

Meet Mr Anant Rai H Mehta from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Coming from Dwarka to Somnath and from here expected to go to Diu and from Diu the travel time to Ahmedabad  (all places in Gujarat) i am told is 11 hours. I also happen to meet Mr Srinivas who has done his studies from IIT Madras and at presence working in Reliance Refinery in Jamnagar. The other day Mr Dharmesh bhai  was willing to give lift to Shyam guest house which i politely declined.

Monday after taking tea from Mr Narain bhai run tea centre i return to Shyam Guest House to get ready. Participating in afternoon aarti is followed by taking meals from Bhabha restaurant. The search for Mysore Sandal Soap takes me to different shops with none in a position to give out even one pack. In the evening meet Mr Suresh bhai of Somnath Trust who is kind enough to hand me laminated pictures of Lord Somnath. A little after 8.30 pm leave Shyam Guest House for Somnath railway station. Meet Mr Jayesh bhai of Jalaram store near SBI ATM  who is able to recall the laminated picture of Lord Venkateswara i gave to him in December 2015 when i visited Gujarat. In Somnath railway station there is a big clock right up there which one won't find hard to notice. There is a waiting room for ladies. The general waiting room has fewer occupants as it has offensive odour. The taps from where one can collect cold drinking water is in a hall which too is soiled. These aberrations apart, the station is neat and clean. While waiting for train which will depart at 10.30 from Platform One, i begin to have grapes which are in abundance in Somnath and beyond. They are fresh and entire stock comes from Nashik in Maharashtra State.

Repeated announcement about train to Dwarka; meeting a group from Silchar in Assam State

There is repeated announcement about the train meant for Dwarka pulling in the station and one need not board unless it has come to a complete halt. Leave Somnath at 10.37 pm. Some time in the night Rajkot comes. Semi fertile land at 7.20 am. Bhatiya comes at 8.07 and Dwarka 9.07. In the train come across a group from Silchar in Assam who talk about train connectivity from the city of Delhi to Northeast India. The group comprises among other people Mr Bimal Kumar Malakar and Mr Arun Kumar Seal. Mr Malakar has taken VRS  (Voluntary Retirement Scheme)and in his place his son has been absorbed in railways whereas Mr Seal continues to work in railways. Not to miss the important role played by pointsman and other staff members in railways which forms core of our discussions. In Somnath they stayed in Bharat Seva Sangh Ashram. They too are headed towards Dwarkadish. For return journey they would take a train from Dwarka at 2 pm on Friday and reach Guwahati on Monday at 6 am. Right from there the ride to Silchar would take six hrs.
There is another family from Gwalior in the train whose daughter Divya studying in class 12 has developed vomiting tendency given the stale food she had in one of the restaurants. One has to be extra cautious while taking food and water when one steps out of home.

On a Tuesday from Dwarka station i head to Balaji Bhawan. After checking in the room i head to Krishna Vijay tea centre where i meet Mr Batuk bhai and Mr Shyam bhai. After taking three to four cups of black tea which they dish out with comfortable ease i get ready to go to Nageshwar temple. I hail an auto driven by one who probably goes by the name Mr Gorung. Leave for Nageshwar from Dwarka at 11.40 am, reach Nageshwar at  12.17. Here in Nageshwar i come across Mr Rajkumar Gautam looking after temple security and he is very helpful. I get phone numbers of Mr Jitu bhai the photographer and Shivam studio. Having spent considerable time in and around the temple i leave from Nageshwar at 1.45 and reach Dwarka at 2.20. Covering a distance of nearly 40 kms and being at my service for almost three hours i have to shell out a little over 300 rs and that looks reasonable.

Leaving for Okha the same Tuesday
The bus from Dwarka to Okha leaves at 4.32 pm. Meet Mr Kushang Acharya a class 10th student of DAV school, Mithapur.
At 4.39 comes Varvaa and here i sight Ambassador car bearing Gujarat number GJ 9719
At 4.43 Okha 23 kms away. We are on State Highway 25.
At 4.52 Okha is 14kms away
At 4.54 comes railway crossing
Going past Tata Chemicals Ltd Mithapur.
At 5.00 going past Janta restaurant, Keval computers
At 5.04 Udhyognagar  At 5.07 Naval Park
Meet Mr Suresh bhai  who conducts group tours. According to Mr Suresh bhai a group at present is covering 11 Jyotirlingas in the country by bus. The 12th Jyotirlinga Kedarnath would open up in summers.  The duration of the tour is 35 days with each person supposed to shell out Rs 28,000. Mr Suresh bhai tells me the area before Okha has huge bauxite reserves for making aluminium.
At 5.13 Office Area proceed slowly
At 5.15 we are in Byet Dwarka Jetty
Okha nagar palika sabhi yatriyo ka swagat karta hai
kripya swatchh rakhe (Okha Municipal Council welcomes all tourists. Please maintain cleanliness)
At 5.16 National Coastal Security Academy
From Okha railway station Mr Zala Jaswant gives lift and i am in Okha sea shore at 5.18. I am visiting Okha sea shore after six years. The new addition is coming up of barricades at some places.
Later Mr Narsi bhai kasta gives lift .
Visit Om Kaleshwar Mahadev Mandir (Shiva temple) across railway tracks. There is recitation of maha mrityunjaya mantra inside temple. Later meet Mr Kada bhai of Shiv tea centre. Here i come across Mr Mansuk working in indian railways. Later i meet Mr Baluba again running a tea centre. I hand over laminated pictures of Lord Venkateswara to Mr Kada bhai and Mr Baluba. Incidentally, i met both gentlemen in 2015 when i visited Okha.
In Okha station come across  reservation, current reservation and enquiry counters. The station is neat and clean to the last mile. There is Saurashtra Mail stationed there which carries passengers to Mumbai everyday.

Take a share taxi GJ 08V 6082 from Okha at 6.45 driven by Mr Jagdish bhai who is very alert and cooperative. In the taxi come across Ms Naseem and Ms Habiba among other members from minority section (Muslims). They have discontinued their studies. Their father who is an engineer works in the Middle East.  They deboard well before Dwarka. Reach Dwarka at 7.35pm. Take dinner from Annapoorna Bhojanalaya. Tuesday was a hectic day with a packed schedule that saw me not only going to Balaji Bhawan from Railway Station, Nageshwar from Dwarka and even going to Okha from Dwarka. The people by and large were simple and true to their commitments. The sets of black tea from Krishna Vijay Tea Centre in Dwarka and Kada bhai Tea Centre in Okha were handy.  The weather was not hostile ; the ride was with fewer hiccups and people were in no mood to spell out the length of river called Nile. The Gujarat State least to be disillusioned by different communities presence; they all living under same roof gives them a sense of pride and showcases them as real gems.

The skyrocketing room tariffs in Udhagamandalam; the invincible high air fares

The skyrocketing room tariffs in Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu State

As we make plans to go to Udhagamandlam (Tamil Nadu State) and roundabout little do we know about Kotagiri and its amazing  clout. Kotagiri won't be the place where we would spend some hours what to talk of spending days, it is one place which has its own pace and craze. Little do we know about the airlines and their impeccable record to charge high fares, the flight from Delhi to Coimbatore can upset your budget and lend you more than ten thousand fears. The advance/prior booking even done a week ago won't let the airlines come up with the idea of keeping fares low. The airlines are here to stay, charge at will and have consistently refused to show a tendency where they can turn grey. Taking a train to the Southern Capital Chennai is the only option left as airlines are charging high and have considerable heft. This followed by another train journey that would take me from Chennai to Coimbatore hoping against hope i won't come across tedious situations where i tend to get bore. Lower berth and window seat in two sets of travel would be appreciated; anything less than this would keep travel enthusiasm saturated.

It has been over 15 days since we are planning to go to Udhagamandalam and it is the skyrocketing air fares that is making us swing like a pendulum. Perhaps there is no force on earth that can tame them and make them act simple.The dynamic fare pricing in train can well wash out over 5,000 rs from your pocket ; this is just for one journey as more would have to be shelled out to get the second set of ticket which would be dished out by a man who has in his possession his much prized locket. It has been seven years since i visited Udhagamandalam and that visit saw me stay in Kotagiri where cell phones had in their gear a set of tantalum. Little i can recollect about the visit in 2011 the place has been visited by characters like Sum and Pen. Making enquiry from Delhi about lodges in Udhagamandlam tend to script a story where one need not say yes to a bottle of rum. The message we get is that the room tariffs are high, the Month of May is something one should least try, a simple, clean room with attached bath would be fine taking cash by front desk/cashier would be better than taking in kind. Last time the manager every morning would come and knock at the door wishing to know whether i was vacating or not; some wishing to give hot water as it is mostly sought.

In Udhagamandalam hill station there is Regale Bakery Confectionery and General Store and there is a fetish for foreign names which has its own set of roar. The Shanghai Company Sports and Chinese Footwear; the Chungwah Chinese Restaurant, Shinkows Chinese Restaurant distant from those fascinated with Shanghai the city with concrete floor. The tea dished out by National Tea Centre and Veg puffs coming in Rs 5, 7.50, 8 and 10 range can well be tried in a place that has its own hype and little or no haze. The hoarding of litter free zone can be spotted here the moot point is how many tourists believe in cleanliness and thereby show affection and care. Some tourists throng Udhagamandalam with surplus cash and that is enough to throw a bash. One need to be wary of tourists with teeming budget as they can well derail the hopes of those who could be dismissed as shoestring reject. Despite this hours would turn to days, days would turn to months in Udhagamandalam it won't be hard to find hope radiating women and gents.
As the Lady Bird, the exclusive women shop, has no takers the commotion isn't swift either at a shop showing the prowess of photo scanning, negative scanning, including the facility on online passport shining. From The Quetta Shoppe to Biryani Hut to Capital Saloon, all are there and immersed in a world where people throng to these points only during noon.

As you step inside Octacamund Municipality, the information is not paltry.
Octacamund Municipality
Constituted 1866
Constructed 1894
Extended 1946
M Krishnaswami B.A. B.L. Chairman

Last time when i was here in Kotagiri the Kasthuri Paradise (Veg) restaurant and the old man probably with glasses who was serving  was something to cheer about the internet cafe Genesis in Udhagamandalam giving discounts and the Station Master of Udhagai who still retained the crown. Last time i made it a point to visit Kodanada view point probably the tight schedule this time may keep me away from Coonoor and all those who rule.

The hefty air fare; the dynamic pricing in train which makes it possible to board for characters like Lear and back to back travel would leave one exhausted and exasperated; the poll buzz in another Southern Kingdom would carry on with some not hesitating to take a glass of rum. The toxic/polluted lakes of Bangalore should be cleaned to the last mile and efforts should begin right away rather remaining in a state of Hile. The Women of Bangalore need to feel safe and secure (the same holds true for Women in State of West Bengal and other places), more women in uniform and some in plain clothes keeping a tab on unruly characters in different locales could take the sheen away from crime roar. A poll with tainted contestants doesn't make it look good; the poll that should throw up a surprise choice as far as cm is concerned and his core. A poll that rewards those with fewer stains to their clothes a poll that gives a befitting response to those who have allegiance to corruption and still want to be on a roll. Polls apart the nation has a lot of catching up to do; the stay in Udhagamandalam should be cool and conversations taking place over a cup of brew on who wants to eject and who wants to rule. 

Reaching Somnath; no black tea during entire journey; booking ticket for Dwarkadish

Reaching Somnath; no black tea during entire journey; booking ticket for Dwarkadish in Gujarat State

Mr Jigar Modi drops me at Ahmedabad railway station. It is porter Mr Raju bhai who carries my luggage to coach of Ahmedabad Somnath Intercity train. Mr Raju bhai promises to meet me again. The train has no pantry car. What to talk about food even black tea would prove to be elusive. I settle for food provided by vendor.  The train leaves at 10.45, Sabarmati comes at 10.56, leaves at 11 am, fairly good speed at 11.02
Chandlodiya 11.08. It is a semi-built station. Fairly good speed at 11.12
11.17 Amblki Road
Going past Jaldeep Casa homes, Jaldeep Entice homes
11.23 Least irrigable land
11.24 Sanand
11.30 Somewhere near Tata Nano plant
11.31 Chhardi
11.32 Fertile land
11.38 Jakhvada
11.45 Slows down
11.47 Viramgam junction fairly clean  At station tea and light refreshment run by Mr M L Gandhi
Inside coach vada pau vendor steps in.
Here in Viramgam junction
Contractor Mr N R  Jain
Tea and refreshment stall
11.56 some station comes
12.06 Vani road
12.11 Sabli road

Meet Mr Bechar bhai going to Surendranagar.  Works as Sky Marshal posted in NSG (National Security Guards) in Delhi. He is going for vacation for one month.  He tells me NSG has batallion in Kolkata, Chennai Ahmedabad among other places. The NSG complex is in Samalkha near New Delhi Airport.
12.25 Semi fertile land
12.26 Lakhtar
12.35 Bala road
12.43 Surendranagar. Here Bhavnagar Palitana train stationed. Rajkiya railway (State railway) police booth on Platform 1. A large number of people from minority section (Muslims) deboard here. Never to miss the fact that minorities are at peace with themselves in the State of Gujarat. They are fairly in large number stretched to different occupations. Meet Mr Rajesh in station who tells me Surendranagar is famous for stones.

I have since returned to national capital of Delhi and to see the speech given at Save Constitution Campaign in New Delhi was a sheer waste of time and effort. There has been peace in the country for over 14 days and to say the country is breaking apart is not stating the truth. India's judiciary is considered to be second to none and the move to impeach CJI (Chief Justice of India) mirrored some political parties tendency to have enduring confrontation eye to eye.  Perhaps some political parties want tensions to simmer for long and that shows where their heart is. All political parties should be on the same page as far as maintaining communal harmony and peace is concerned. There has been rampant misuse of SC ST Act across country and and there is a need to reach a middle ground. What one can say with a fair degree of certainty is a fractured mandate that would gobble up different parties and their satraps. In the coming months and years  what we need to show is respect to people of different faiths and background.

12.46 Train leaves Surendranagar.
A little later leaves Chararaj
1.15 The train is in full flow
1.27 Muli road
1.42 Stationed at Than as it is a single line and another train is expected to come from opposite direction
1.57 Leaves Than
2.07 Daladi
2.17 Wankaner (Change here for Morbi side)
2.30 Amarsar, leaves Amarsar 2.47
2.58 Kankot
3.06 Bileshwar
3.15 Rajkot Here Mr H N Bhatt retired from audit and account services boards with other family               members
4.15 Gondal Here Saurashtra Mail to Mumbai passes by
4.45 Virpur. Here i am told there is a Jalaram Temple. The People here are served food twice a day.
5.11 Jetalsar Here Rajkot Porbandar train stationed
5.41 Junagarh
6.15 Keshod
6.42 Maliya Hatina
7.18 Veraval stops for over 25 minutes
7.50 Somnath

From Ahmedabad to Surendranagar there is double railway line and from Surendranagar there is a single line. There is a need to have double tracks all the way to Somnath and Okha. Perhaps that would come in due course of time.

In train meet father son duo.  Father Mr James, Son Mr Jewel who is going to pursue MBA from Symbiosis Pune. They essentially hail from Idukki in Kerala. They help me to trace the missile (mobile). They are very cooperative. Mr James is working in Gujarat Heavy Chemicals in Veraval. The meals provided at Ahmedabad is nothing to write home about. It costs you rs 150 and the quality isn't good enough. Perhaps the railway contractor needs to set a new benchmark as far as quality is concerned. The black tea eludes me for the entire journey. The ride from Katra in Jammu & Kashmir State to New Delhi some months ago also saw no hint of black tea for a journey lasting over 10 hours. Perhaps they should make a provision for black tea. Boiled water carried in a big pot and served in paper cup/plastic cup with tea bag dished out separately. It is not that hard task. The repeated dose of Amul Lassi followed by tea laced with milk led to acidity and here Gas O Fast sachet (5mg) came handy.

From Somnath station head straight to Somnath Trust Office. Mr Bharat Gadhiya is kind enough to book a room in Tanna Guest House run by Somnath Trust. The ride was too taxing. After taking shower settle for grilled sandwich dished out by a man at Amul parlour. He has a makeshift kitchen. In Somnath while returning to Tanna Guest House happen to meet Mr Abbas and Mr Sohaib at Dilsukh tea centre.

On Saturday a good amount of time is spent inside Somnath temple. Later head to Veraval railway station. Here share autos don't fleece you like they do in big cities of India.  The share ride from Somnath to Veraval (over five km) costs you Rs 10 only. Automan Mr Sarpreet drops me in Veraval. Mr Dileep bhai guides me to railway station.
In Veraval station there are two ticket counters at computerised reservation centre. A Very clean station. Mr Awasiya bhai at Veraval reservation counter is kind enough to hand me Somnath Dwarka train ticket.

Outside Veraval station
Hotel Shree Sai AC Non AC AC dormitory
Hotel Shreenath
Hotel Avkar
Mr Joshy guides me to scooter stand
Mr Iqbal bhai having a  food stall
Automan Mr Bhagwanji drops me at Somnath

Meet Devendra Kumar at Bhabha Restaurant in Somnath.
Meet Mr Ram Swaroop Dikshit in Tanna Damani Atithi Griha. Meet Mr Swaroop from Maninagar in Ahmedabad.
In Tanna Guest House meet Mr Daya bhai. Meet Mr Ram Rajesh at Somnath trust office. Meet Mr Jitender bhai in Somnath Trust. Meet kids Nivya and Monica.


In Tanna Guest House meet Mr Ranganath who came with other member from Bengaluru in Karnataka State and from Somnath going to Mt Abu in Rajasthan State.
Near SBI ATM Jalaram travels run by Mr Jayesh bhai. I am told Mr Bhopad bhai husband of Mukta ben has shifted his base to Rajkot. Mr Narain bhai running Chamunda tea centre near SBI ATM.

Reaching Ahmedabad in Gujarat State

Reaching Ahmedabad in Gujarat State

After securing the train ticket from Ahmedabad to Somnath, lucky enough to gain an air ticket that looked somewhat affordable, it was time to leave for Gujarat. On a Friday morning left home at 5.30 reached airport at 5.49. The taxi ride set me back by 500 rs. Despite this the taxi man needs to be complimented for ensuring a safe and secure ride. There were other affordable options which i didn't try to explore to reach the airport. Meet Mr Saikia and Mr Ajit Timung both from North East India associated with CISF (Central Industrial Security Force). As you step inside the airport you come across A to N rows for boarding pass. Like c row is for Vistara Airlines, b row for Jet, g row for Air India. The Ticket Outlet has counters for Air India, Jet, Etihad aiways, Vistara, Indigo, Spicejet. One doesn't miss to note the declaration that Delhi Airport is now a Wi-Fi zone. There is a Masala Twist outlet offering
- coffee rs 120
- tea  rs 100
- sweet lassi rs 105

There is a Secure Wrap Centre for baggage wrapping.
Come across Mr Masso from Germany. Talk about German Chancellor Ms Angela Merkel's  success in stitching a coalition govt after months of negotiations and concessions. Come across Mr Kharat RD from Maharashtra, Mr Navneet, Mr K B Shreedhar, Mr S K Mishra, Mr Rajiv Kumar, Mr Prabhakar M all from CISF. Meet a couple from Italy.
There is Mr C Alathanga at baggage screening point. There is Mr Mohammad Islam going to Dubai by Emirates.

Intternational departures
Foreign exchange
Change Currency Airline offices
First business class
Foreign passport holders
Indian pasport holders
Diplomats/officials

Further ahead is a Costa outlet
- Airtel pay phone corner but there is no one manning the same. A very down to earth Mr Harshit          Narayan Jha was there at the counter last time.
- Display board Extra marks
  Education made easy and effective

Meet Mr Philip with other family members from Colombia.
W H Smith store has
S Hussain Zaidi with Gabriel Khan
Mumbai Avengers

Wilbur Smith
Golden Lion
with Giles Kristian

After security check
- Brooks Brothers
- Sunglasshut
- Hamleys
- Marks and Spencer
- Lacoste
- Costa
- Swarovski
- The offactive
- Damilano Italia
- Haldiram's

- British Council
  Mix the city and mix the body, two websites launched
  Mr Rishab at the counter

- fabindia
- Croma A Tata enterprise
- Punjabi Kulfi Mr Jitendar is at the counter

The Display Board shows Flights to different cities in India like Pune, Vizag, Nagpur, Mumbai, Shimla, Jaipur, Guwahati, Dehradun, Lucknow, Imphal, Amhedabad, Bengaluru, Dharamshala, Ranchi, Leh, Hyderabad, Kulu, Jammu, Chennai, Kolkata, Port Blair, Bikaner, Bagdogra among others.

Meet Mr Mira with other family members from Amravati who had been to Ajmer and Jaipur in Rajasthan State. They would take flight to Hyderabad and from there go by road to Amravati which is 300kms away. Amravati  is the new capital of Andhra Pradesh. I tell him i watch ETV Andhra Pradesh and ETV Telugu news channels. Perhaps Amravati would have to raise resources for itself as Centre's hands are tied and since no special status has been granted to any State it can't come for Andhra Pradesh as well.


Meet Mr Sandeep Giri from Kolkata who is going with his family to capital of West Bengal State. Meet three men from Nagoya in Japan. The moment i am able to place from which region they come from one of the guys begin to giggle not realising the seats that would be on offer would be next to mine in the flight. Nagoya is between Tokyo and Osaka. Nagoya is hub of country's manufacturing industries and is considered to be automobile hub. Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe facing turbulent times in view of land being given to a school at a throwaway price is something i discuss with them. Perhaps one member even after taking the meal box doesn't eat and the entire box going to waste is something hard to digest. Perhaps airlines should spread the message if he or she doesn't wish to have food they can tell the crew members as the food won't go waste.


There is a Hindi song from Roja movie (Yeh Haseen Wadiyan) that is being played and this reminds me of my visit to the then Madras (Chennai)in 1996.
In Relay outlet there is Mr Jeetu from North East
I go past
- Lakme
- Biotique
- Happy legs (Mr Mandeep Singh says people working here in three shifts)
- Ad of Switch to Smart. Switch to Lloyd Wi-Fi ACs featuring Mr Amitabh Bachchan.
- India beckons the world
   IEF April 10-12 2018 New Delhi

- Committed to natural gas
 Total

I am supposed to board Vistara UK 979 flight to Ahmedabad. Ms Nikita looks at the boarding passes before letting in passengers.

The flight takes off at 7.50. Descend begins at 8.35. Lands at 9.07
The refreshment comprise of upma, bun, coffee and one sweet dish. Perhaps other airlines should learn a thing or two on refreshments served by Vistara.

Inflight magazine Vistara has a story on clipped Gujarati diction. The magazine doesn't lose opportunity to convey in Vistara women employees make more than 40 per cent workforce. That endeavour would draw support from different quarters.

At belt 3 in Ahmedabad Airport there is reminder of Rani Ki Var stepwell situated in Patan which should be visited by tourists.

After collecting baggage take auto driven by Mr Jigar Modi which starts at 9.36 am Going past Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save Daughter Educate Daughter) hoarding. The campaign of Save Daughter Educate Daughter should replicate across length and breadth of the country.

Going past Ahmedabad Cantonment
- Kendriya Vidyalaya  Ahmedabad Cantonment
- Circuit House
- Hoarding of Concept Hyundai welcomes Mr Y K Koo

There is a Procession of Shree Hanuman Mandir Camp Shahibaug. There are a large number of people in attendance. Reach station a little after 10. After coming from Somnath Nageshwar, Okha Byet Dwarka and Dwarkadish i make it a point to visit Camp Hanuman in Shahibaug in Ahmedabad.

Porter Mr Raju Bhai takes my luggage to Ahmedabad Somnath Intercity coach. With a window seat i assume the ride to be with little or no knots. The Train leaves at 10.45, Sabarmati  comes at 10.56, leaves at 11 am. It has a fairly good speed at 11.02.

Reaching New Delhi from Jodhpur

Reaching New Delhi from Jodhpur some weeks ago

Some weeks ago i had the opportunity to visit Jodhpur and after spending four to five days decided to leave for National Capital of Delhi.
Leave at 12.10 pm from Mannu Guest House located in Jalori Gate. Autos in the city are least demanding and i hail one driven by Mr Yusuf Khan . Mr Yusuf Khan is very cautious while driving his vehicle and in the past 12 years only once his most prized possession has given him trouble.

Going past Arora Makhaniya lassi
- Shree Murlidhar Jewellers
- Railway Station Jodhpur
- JDA Office
- Lords Inn Jodhpur
Then there are directions for Pali, Sirohi and Udaipur destinations.
A little later come across Gyanyodya Make your dreams come true under guidance of IITians.
- Shree Kuldas photocopy and stationers
- Senapati Bhawan
- Time School
- Directions for Sasai Colony, Nehru colony, Bagai Khana, Marwar Defence
- Ashok Dairy and Provision store

I reach Jodhpur Airport at 12.37 pm. Welcome to India's first airport with 4G wi-fi facility.
Announcements are being made for different flights including one for Surat. Come across Mr Bharat Singh working at airport from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm. He tells me Bikaner is 300 kms and Jaisalmer 270 kms from Jodhpur. Perhaps a second check is required as far as the distances are concerned.
There is a couple from Colorado. The man corrects me that there is only one Colorado. I tell him there is North Carolina, South Carolina and North Dakota and South Dakota. The couple took flight from Denver to New York and from New York to New Delhi. We discuss about Mr Rex Tillerson who was till then the US Secy of State and doing quite well. The couple has been to Amritsar, Mcleodganj, Rishikesh (stayed in Rishikesh for one month) Agra, Udaipur, Pushkar and Jodhpur.

There is a board that says Security checks have been intensified due to heightened threat perception. All are requested to cooperate. Mr Mayur B Ajgar of CISF is very thorough with frisking.
Meet a group from Taiwan that includes Mr Guill from US/Taiwan. Mr Guill is working in Tata Communications in US. His wife is working in Taiwan. Meet Mr Anwar Ali associated with Ret movie shot in Jaisalmer. Meet Mr Rohit who has been cast in the movie. Mr Anwar Ali stays in Mumbai and hails from Andhra Pradesh. He tells me Guntur and Vijaywada combined together makes Amravati the capital of Andhra Pradesh. ETV Andhra Pradesh channel and its reach is something we discuss.

Meet Ms Kim working in CISF hailing from Manipur. Meet Mr Rahul working in India Army as Captain. He came to Jodhpur to meet his sister pursuing a dental course from Vyas Institute. Mr Rahul hails from North East and he is very humble. He is posted in Hyderabad.

Say no to child sexual abuse is prominently displayed on a board and that shows the need to create more awareness about the same.
On screen NDTV India news channel is belting out poll results.
Announcement is being made for Surat Goa flight. The Snack bar which is not far away and goes by the name Jal Pan Griha offers tea for 40 rs, masala tea for 50 rs and coffee 50 rs. Perhaps the New Delhi airport should toe the same line.
There is a family from Lucknow speaking in Bangla, largely spoken in West Bengal State and in Bangladesh. The family has one member staying in New York and perhaps been on a holiday to India. The family had been to Jaisalmer, Jodhpur. Took a flight from Delhi to Jaisalmer. I tell them there is no flight connectivity between Delhi and Jaisalmer. They correct me by stating that Jaisalmer has a new airport and there are flights to Jaisalmer.

Meet a family from Himachal Pradesh who had come to Jodhpur to participate in a function in a school where they studied 55 years ago. Meet Mr Gajendar on tarmac. There is a couple from Switzerland. Meet a man from Sikar. Meet a man from Jodhpur running a stationery shop in Rudrapur in Uttarakhand State. On the tarmac the guy who looks at the boarding pass before letting in the passengers in the flight is rude to this man from Jodhpur. One should give respect to everyone irrespective of the fabric he or she sports and background he or she comes from.

Take the seat a little before three. Captain Mr Deepak Yadav is at the helm. The plane moves at 3.06. A little later stops for 10 minutes. Moves and takes off at 3.23. All we have on hand is a clear sky. The flight lands at New Delhi airport at 4.18 pm. Take auto from public transport centre driven by Mr Arshad. Reach home a little before 6.00.

As per reports there is a move to increase auto fare in the National Capital of Delhi. That should be least tried and if at all fares have to be revised for the first three kms the base fare should remain the same. Any fare increase would be highly unjustified. As for SC/ST Act there is misuse of the same over the years and reams of newsprint talk about its misuse.  A middle ground should be explored as a large number of innocent people have been framed for no fault.
At another level the Syrian Administration using Chemical weapons against its own citizens was appalling and here repeated air strikes to deflate its chemical weapons could dissuade it from toeing that line.

Interactions in February and March in the National Capital of Delhi

Multitasking in Delhi; meeting Mr Robinson from Delhi University; Mr Ozan from Turkey; Mr Kevin from Holland

Looking for Mr Uttam Roy the other day at snack point adjacent to Sarojini Nagar Railway Station i was told he would file in another hour or so. At the reservation centre i happen to meet Mr Jitender Singh. Doing multitasking in Tripura Bhawan, Air Force station and Tirupura kitchenette from morning to late in the night it was this hectic schedule that kept him going in the city where the cost of living is high but any day less than Mumbai. He was not alone in the city with one of the best civic amenities where he or she was required to put his/her best to different occupations the entire day. Meet Mr R K Das from Darbhanga in Bihar state working in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who had come to the reservation centre to cancel the tickets and get the requisite refund. Meet Mr Utpal from Assam. Meet Mr Damer from Assam as well. At the reservation centre the display board showed a missed call is better than a missed journey. Cancellation/ refund rules board was seen tagged to the wall.  While coming out of the reservation centre and waiting for the bus came across Mr Trishen Lal who has been staying in railway quarters in Sarojini Nagar in New Delhi. Meet Mr R C Verma who has stayed in Sarojini Nagar for a long time in the past.

Waterman Mr Jai Prakash Rai from Bihar i came across at Dhaula Kuan. From his water cart all he was able to manage was Rs 2 for every glass of water sold. Meet Mr Anton from Russia with family members where i spoke to them about Russian polls and the clear advantage the incumbent has. Meet Mr Ismail from Afghanistan. He Doing computer science from Hindu College in Delhi University, i told him about Kandahar perhaps more famous for hijacked boots in the late 90s when an Indian Airlines plane was parked there. It is the second largest city in Afghanistan. Meet Mr Henry while taking a metro ride. He has his roots in China and at present staying in Canada. Talks about Ice Hockey and Toronto Vs Minneapolis teams or Toronto Minneapolis team, it is hard to figure out. Mr Henry along with another member is headed towards Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state swayed by the attractions the city offers round the year. Perhaps security should be upgraded to the last mile for securing different structures in the city.

Mr Naseer going to Kuwait; Mr Pervez Alam going to Saudi Arabia; Ms Janvi from KMC

At the New Delhi airport meet Mr Naseer Ahmad who is headed to Kuwait. Meet Mr Pervez Alam from Nalanda in Bihar state going to Saudi Arabia. He is a part of a group hailing from different places in Bihar. For eight days they would be staying in Mecca and and for seven days they would be in Madina. The entire package which includes air travel, stay in hotels and food comes to about Rs 70,000 each person. Meet Mr Robinson who has done Chemistry Honours from St Stephen's College in Delhi University and at present taking coaching for civil services. Meet Ms Janvi pursuing graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College . She scored 96 per cent in class 12th and that amply demonstrated how difficult it was to secure admission in different colleges of Delhi University where close to 50 per cent seats are taken by students from across country. Rest is made up by students from Delhi. Never ever make an attempt to reserve seats for Delhi students as undergraduates flock from all parts of India.

Reaching New Delhi railway station

After reaching New Delhi Station on a certain day i came across a slew of announcements being made for EMUs,  more popularly labelled as the local train that cover the outskirts of Delhi.  As for other trains, Kashi Vishwanath Express expected any moment. Karnataka Express from Bengaluru city coming on Platform 6. The number of vacant berths ( over 380 on various days) in Bangalore Rajdhani emanating from Bengaluru shows the shrinking base of passengers who wish to travel by Rajdhani and preferring to take a flight which comes if not dirt cheap at least affordable if booked in advance. Telangana Express from Hyderabad behind schedule by 90 minutes. Howrah Rajdhani to come on Platform 11. Here i meet Ms Anny from Nagaland a state in the north east India. Poorva Express from Howrah in West Bengal state to come at 10.05 on PF 7. Jhelum Express to Pune to arrive on PF 4. Kalka Shatabdi to come on PF 7. Vaishali Express from Barauni coming on PF 8. The platforms 15 and 14 at the New Delhi Railway Station were fairly clean . Meet Mr Chahal pursuing M.B.B.S. from Kanpur. He hails from Haryana state. Meet Mr Sangay from Arunachal Pradesh. Pursuing graduation from Dyal Singh College. Meet Mr Thinley from Ladakh and thoughts are on how little presence they have in the national capital of Delhi; some day would probably see a horde of them flocking to the city.

Meeting monks travelling to South India; broach the issue of Mr Chris Patten

Meet Mr Ashok Kumar who appeared for Combined Higher Secondary Level exam conducted by Staff Selection Commission(SSC). Here one needs to note the SSC needs to pull up its socks and get the tests conducted with no glitches.  It should be in a position to declare results of students on time and offer joining letters. Those who wrote exams two to three years ago as well the results have not been declared. Mr Ashok Kumar hails from Haryana. The other day while visiting Nizamuddin railway station came across monks Mr Chopel, Mr Thupel, Mr Kalden and Mr Sanmten travelling to South India. Some coaches of the train departing from Delhi 12780 Goa Express  (Train Engine number 30395) go to Hubli in Karnataka as well. Here i meet Mr Suhayb Khan from Somalia who is 6 feet 5 inches tall and would be travelling by the same train. Meet cycle rickshaw man Mr Rohit who drops me at Jangpura railway station.
There is an ad in Jangpura metro station. Cuisine that's love at first bite. Telangana Tourism. While taking a metro ride came across Mr Marc of Britain working in a Dutch Company in Gurgaon. He has been staying in India since October 2017. Parents Mr Jeff and Ms Tracey have come from Britain for two weeks and they all would be travelling to Agra and Jaipur. When i broach the issue of Mr Chris Patten, who happenned to be the last Governor of Honk Kong until its transfer of sovereignty to China, in June 1997, the parents are able to recall and not their son. Pang Ding-hong has been Mr Patten's Chinese name. Our best wishes to Mr Chris Patten as well as residents of Hong Kong.

Meet Mr Mohammad Shafiq doing MCom from Jamia Hamdard. He has done graduation from the same institute. Meet Mr Rishab pursuing MBA from a business school in Gurgaon. He has done graduation from Christian College in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh state.
While waiting for public transport came across a large hoarding of Delhi's first world trade centre Nauroji Nagar in South Delhi. Hard to guess how many sections would get the requisite business associates.The low rise government flats were still a better option. Meet Mr Salem from Mizoram pursuing automobile engineering from Sri Venkateswara College. Meet a man hailing from minority section settled in Rajasthan state.

Meet Mr Ozan from Turkey. We talk about underwater tunnel that connects two cities in Istanbul. It is none other than Euriasia tunnel. Istanbul is 550 kms from Ankara. Mr Ozan is a mechanical engineer in Turkey. Took Gulf Air flight from Istanbul to Bahrain and another flight from Bahrain to Delhi. The return fare is $450.   I spoke about one member of my family has been Turkey in the 80s. We spoke about Turkey President Mr Erdogan's visit to Senegal that is one among four African countries he visited. Countries in Africa which nations from India to Turkmenistan want to have a presence and lasting impact something that should be steady and straight.
It is time security is upgraded for leaders from Russia to leaders across Atlantic.

Meet Mr Kevin from Holland. From Holland he went to Japan, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and at present he is in India. In India Mr Kevin has visited Agra, Jaipur, Jaisalmer. He would be going to Rishikesh. He is expected to fly to Nepal later and from there he would take a flight to Holland. According to Mr Kevin the Sri Lankan hospitality was great and places he visited including Kandy the people had their heart overflowing with love. Patches of the same can be spotted at fewer places in India but not in the entire country. Compassion is missing in some parts of India he says and there is a need to revisit the tourist template belted out quite often with less than noticeable changes here and there. He said Jaisalmer was hot and he made it a point to visit the Jaisalmer Fort the one which i visited way back in 2014. Mr Kevin has been to Cambodia as well which can act act as magnet to get investments if there are free and fair elections. The Dutch news channel NOS can be watched online he tells me when i tell him about TV5Monde and DW channels beamed from France and Berlin which occasionally i watch.

Meeting Army man from Coorg

Meet Mr Vishwanath working in Indian Army. Hailing from Coorg in Karnataka state. Coorg is famous for coffee plantation. Coorg is little over 200 km from Bengaluru. I am told the renovation work in Kempegowda bus station ( Majestic bus station) in the city of Bengaluru is complete. Meet Ms Sakshi (from Agra in UP State)and Mr Sanjeev (from Nagaland State) pursuing Fashion Designing from Amity. It is a four year course which entails a fee of Rs 6,40,000. Meet Mr Kunal Baishoya whose board exams would be over by April 13. He is a student of Emerald Convent School in Faridabad in Haryana State. Meet Mr Aditya Nautiyal who has science with maths in class 11th a student of Delhi Police Public School, S J Enclave. Meeting Mr Bhavuk Yadav who is in class 11th in Laxman Public School. Taking coaching from Vidyamandir classes which is a packed schedule of two years. The fee is Rs 2,80,000. His father is associated with real estate business. He has something to fall back on given the land his family owns in Najafgarh a place in South West District of national capital.

Meet Mr Rishi Raj associated with an NGO Digital Green which has its headquarters in Washington and the Asia Pacific office is in New Delhi. The Africa office is in Ethiopia. Mr Rishi Raj has pursued international relations from LSE (London School of Economics). Digital Green is endowed with the task of increasing agriculture output spread across different states in India with the rider to keep the green imprint intact. Meet Mr Robin who is in commerce discipline in Rajkiya Vikas Vidyalaya. Meet Mr Chris from Congo Democratic Republic. The other day i met Mr Ibrahim, Mr  Abbas and Ms Hauwa from Nigeria. Meet Mr Nagrarupu from Vishakapatnam ( Vizag) who says he gets an opportunity to visit Vizag every year. Perhaps a large number of people in Delhi won't be able to place Vishakapatnam.

Had the opportunity to watch Isai Thoppu on March 17 on DD Podhigai beamed from Chennai. Growing vegetables on rooftop in Hong Kong featured Ms Hong the founder of Rooftop Republic on DW TV Channel.

As interactions were across different layers it showed the World As One.  The Waterman of Delhi to Mr Kevin of Holland deceit is not the option they choose and command. Honesty drives their ambitions, uneasiness is not their creation, there are tell tale signs of they having a walkover in different nations.