The Ride From Shimla To Solan To Kalka; Visiting Delhi Cantt Railway Station

The Ride From Shimla To Solan To Kalka; Visiting Delhi Cantt Railway Station

The day I am supposed to leave Shimla (Shimla Is Capital Of Himachal Pradesh State In India) I visit Kalibari (Goddess Temple) established way back in 1823 and that is revelation of sorts when India was not free. In the Ridge I put in a prayer from outside at Christ Church and go past HP State Library and this entire area deserves puffery. If there is one place in Shimla where one can get relief it is Ridge and Ridge alone where there are no acts of spitting and no verbal abuse and here one can croon. Leave Hotel at 8.20 with Mr Mehtar Singh agreeing to carry my bag and we go past Hotel Gulmarg and the green roof reminds me of previous stay here which was wonderful and discipline was the rule. Go past Dayanand Public School. There is recitation of Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra and this is to benefit all irrespective of religious affiliations come winter or fall. 

Leaving Old Bus Stand, Reaching Solan

Leave Old Bus Stand in Shimla at 8.45 with Mr Deva at the wheels and reach New Bus Stand at 9.03 and this ride heals. With little information coming through on the bus that would go to Kalka I have to content with bus bound for Solan with some having heard of China's Hotan. Leave New Bus Stand at 9.30 with Mr Bobby at the wheels. Bus stops at 9.34 and here I spot HP College Of Education Airport Road Totu bus with a young woman with mask who boards the bus with no stress. Finally my bus bus moves at 9.43. Expansive green surroundings and my bus doesn't engage in rash driving. At 10 Solan is 36 km. At 10.07 reach Shoghi, at 10.42 reach Kandaghat with some having heard of British Poet Ewart. At 10.45 spot traffic jam on other side and this could be no hayride. At 10.59 spot a lone auto, something like that in the years to come would be visible in Japan's Kyoto.  At 11.12 reach Old Bus Stand Solan, at 11.27 reach New Bus Stand Solan with some familiar with works of Australian Painter Nolan.  

Reaching Kalka; Mr Gotu At Refreshment Room: Accessing Stall Which I Visited Way Back In May-June 1995

The wait and search for bus to Kalka is for some time and probably some working here come from Bihar's City Banka. At 11.45 the bus starts from here and stops soon after and at 12 pm the bus finally starts to move towards Kalka with the certainty those raising their justified demands would be in troika. At 12.27 reach Kumarhatti, at 12.37 Dharampur and at 12.45 reach a point from where one can proceed to Kasauli which is very much holy. Mind you Kasauli is 11 km from Dharampur. At 1.30 Spot Board Of Thanks For Visiting Devbhoomi Himachal Pradesh which is very much in the race. Reach Kalka at 1.30 with automan Mr Sandeep taking me to Kalka Railway Station which has indelible equation. Mr Sandeep is well mannered, wearing clothes which are by no means tattered. From Refreshment Room Take Veg Thali which comes for Rs 70, take Britannia chocochip cookies which come for Rs 30 and  Pomegranate Juice and this place Kalka would have been recalled in the past by Italian Actress Duse. Ever smiling Mr Gotu is there in Refreshment Room and so is Mr Ratnakar with a reminder that customers should insist on taking bill and this would bring transparency and thrill. At Kalka Station I visit a stall where Mr Sushil Kumar Yadav gives coffee and I disclose I visited this stall in May-June 1995 when I first visited Kalka when in plenty would have been Maori War Dance Haka.

Leaving For Delhi Cantt Railway Station In New Delhi

Leave home at 7.57 am and reach Bhikaji Cama Place at 8.15 having spotted Haryana Roadways Rewari Depot bus which is not in a rush. Board DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) bus 763 going past Dhaula Kuan, Naraina, let's go green nursey and reach Lajwanti at 9.05 with ticket inspections that thrive. Walk from here and reach Delhi Cantt Railway Station at 9.17 with ticket counter showing passengers booked and earnings in the month of December and there is no fresh update of this calendar. There is an ad on screen Delhi becomes start-up capital and entire Platform 1 is filled with passengers back to back and in the vicinity is railway track. Ad on screen Bihar Tourism Blissful Bihar. Train Number 12915 Ashram Express comes on Platform 2, train number 22452 Chandigarh to Bandra arrives on PF 1 and this is fun. Take B Natural Fruit Juice from a stall and the personnel at Northern Railway Delhi Division Stall rude and he still retains the hood. 

On screen there is vast array of messages. Become responsible Rail Passenger do not waste water; gates at railway crossing are for your safety, do not cross it; accept sweet greetings but don't accept sweet treats; do not try boarding/deboarding a moving train; delhi becomes first city to provide free water, power; ad on Himachal Tourism (In The Mesmering Beauty Of Himachal hold hands forever) and here I believe a cluttered State loses the gait. We still wish well for Himachal and hope innovative plans are ushered in and to be in merriment zone should be endless fling. 

Highlights Of Green Features At Delhi Cantt Railway Station

- rainwater harvesting

- tactile path

- solar panel

- 100 per cent LED lights

- ban on plastic in stalls

- kiosk in each platform

We Hail India's Supreme Court Rulings And Learned Judges Of SC Are Doing A Wonderful Job Ensuring The Tenets Of Free Speech And Right To Air Views By Citizens Are Secured In A Nation Where Shouldn't Be Hatred Road. Give Space To All And Let Country Be On A Roll. 

YEDU KONDALWADA VENKATRAMNA GOVINDA GOVINDA