The ride from Shirdi to Ahmedabad

The ride from Shirdi to Ahmedabad

With the evening aarti accomplished it was time to head towards Ahmedabad. i was lucky enough to get a bus run by shrinath travels as soon as i stepped outside. From Shirdi the departure was at 7.30 in the evening, nashik coming at 9.30, dhule at 10.30. The halt for meals was at Sakhri at 11.35. This was followed by another halt probably at karzana at shree shiv shakti hotel for tea at 5.40 in the morning. It was vijay singh who was dishing out tea for commuters. And here one can find slew of dogs tied to poles with an intent to secure the surroundings.

Vadodara came at 6 amidst impression of a city that has petit library and students reporting to school as early as 6.30. Broad roads and big gardens dot the landscape. Nadiad came at 7.30 (madhav bagh in nadiad). Few kms away the declaration comes: "you are on national expressway 1". At 7.50 another hoarding said: "welcome to ahmedabad district". Go past mesho river at 7.52 and the bus is in paldi at 8.10. From paldi took a local bus to lal darwaza.

Before reaching the city on the left side a road direction showed Udaipur to be 254 and Delhi 919 km.


Impressions of Ahmedabad

The stay in the city was of one night and two days, coming amidst visits to Gopi food outlet, star pan centre for STD and a cyber cafe on relief road. The lal darwaza and roundabout seem to suggest a commotion that one associates with old areas and this place has a different beat. Here one can find ample display of fruits including apples and a bargaining that can be to your satisfaction. Hail the city and hail the affection.

As i reached Manmad on way to Sai's abode

As i reached Manmad

 

As i reached Manmad just after 10 on a Saturday night, the options before me were split between taking a shared taxi to Sai's abode or wait for a train that would drop me at Kopargaon. The indecisive  phase lasting close to an hour finally led me to settle for a shared taxi ride, coming at 80rs for one passenger. I was amidst a family hailing from Maharashtra and yet  having never secured an opportunity to visit the Sai's abode. The toy machine the vehicle looked to be given the light wrapping it had from all sides, the ride lasted over 90 minutes interspersed with rotational thunder that erupted from cell songs that were being played out. The volume was purely erratic and a fair sense that was hard to locate.

 

It was well after 1 at night i reached Sai's abode in Shirdi, coming face to face with another eruption on lodge fare front which had surpassed all expectations with the minimum starting at 600rs and flexibly upward bound to reach 2500. This was true of those lodges which hovered in the range of 500 to 600rs at the most. Given a public holiday the surge in tariff was still unreasonable and here the absence of monitoring had led to this upheaval of sorts. The tariff that was being quoted actively by some was as clear as :  if i wish to stay from 1.30 to 6 in the morning better settle for 1000 and any stretch lasting to 2 in the afternoon 2500rs was the reigning beat.  An old association with a lodge that was being built in 2009 march-april secured me the lower tariff advantage.

 

With sleep high on my mind, i skipped the morning aarti. Entry to the temple was around nine amidst a rush that was normal by any standards on a  public holiday. Having seen the surging numbers quite often in the past, the sighting did not dilute my confidence and majority of those who made the crowd. It was at a waiting hall , probably three or four, which is the last one before one takes the descent by stairs that we could reach by 11. And from here the wait continued well past the 12 pm aarti followed by clearing of the hall for the swift movement of the crowd behind.  

 

With afternoon aarti prayers said in the hall - this waiting hall has a renewed synergy during the aarti period- the sighting of Sai and the spell came well after 1.30. As always made it a point to approach the right side of the Lord (from his sitting posture it is on the left) and yet could not rest my palm on the platform on which he rests. There was a temporary glass panel that had been put to ensure fast movement of the crowd. The Sai of that day looked to be a bit tired. Perhaps the observation may be not absolutely accurate but the Lord to me looked to be a little tense. Went past the Lord with the belief that the palm resting on the wall outside the aarti hall would be equally effective.

 

The evening aarti was accomplished in the vicinity of the window which is in the samadhi mandir. Post aarti left for Ahmedabad and reached the city the next morning.

 

When in Sai's abode

 

- try to take meals from prasadalaya and a word of praise for the swift handling should be recorded.

- try to approach the lord from the right side and make an early exit as huge numbers are following you.

- try to visit meditation hall in the vicinity of reservation centre.

 

Changes seen this time

 

- all pictures that adorned the walls inside the waiting halls have been done away with including the one that you came across after descending stairs.

-  a new ST bus stand coming up in Shirdi

- the man selling papers seems to have reported sick; the actual paper centre has shifted outside the bus stand.

- new structures are coming up opposite the samadhi mandir probably leading to relocation of water park. What some believe is that in the first place the water park should not have been there given the scarcity of water and power in the area.

- soda water shop opposite the prasadalaya and one should try that

- a slip road that takes you to prasadalaya.

 

As i left the place, the area had scanty rainfall and till yesterday not much change had been seen. All small vendors need to be encouraged and hope they are able to tide over their problems. Small vendors selling guava, kishmish, sai's pictures and other gifts are the heart and soul of Ahmednagar and as long as they are in a functioning mode the sai adherents would have a smooth float.

Lord Venkateshwara bless us all

Lord Venkateshwara bless us all.

Leh is still fresh in my mind and sending postcards that have a renewed shine

Having sent postcards(the ride from New Delhi to Manmad)

Having sent postcards (the ride from New Delhi to Manmad)

Having sent postcards, normally available in post offices, to those with more than a semblance of  purity in their heart, it is time to get back to the ride i took from New Delhi station which has in its parking space ample number of bikes.  The stay in the national capital lasted three weeks, coming at a time when rains on occasions had shown the temerity to shine. About six days ago i left the national capital glow to board a train that was going to Manmard and the adjoining plain.

Popularly known in the popular establishment of railways as Amritsar Dadar Express, the train left at 8.55 in the evening with a degree of stress. Stress emanating as one family objected to those occupying the reserved berths and once asked to do so, the fisticuffs had to naturally burst. Things were managed and those in the plain outfit that is worn on temporary routes could do little as they were outnumbered by those who have the plain outfits as 24X7 shoot. Men from Palwal objected to the way the family head told them to vacate, leading to a period where he came across repeatedly the shouting brigade. Had it not been for an old lady,  things could have gone the way as desired by those willing to be haughty.  Amidst this rancour and few drops of rain, the train and its ride was dutifully recorded:  Kosikalan coming at 11, gwalior at 3.15,  bina at 9, mandi bamore 9.20, ganj basoda 9.45 and vidisha 10.20. In Vidisha as the platform made a declaration of free thanda jal, there was an ad that went like:  "Ignited minds. For sure success join us . Free demo class for 4 days". As those in the coach deliberated and tried to dissect who amongst them were ignited and those who were yet to be knighted, bhopal came at 11, leaving at 11.20 followed by a squeaky clean Habibganj 15 minutes later. Here the tea handed out from a machine on a platform was desirable enough to seek a second cuppa but the movement of the train brought me back amidst those who were least willing to give a thought or two on rain ka adda.

A Hanumangarh resident who had boarded the bus early in the morning to reach New Delhi to take this train rush, the visit to areas adjoining manmad was his second. There were two other jewellery developed entities who seem to relish nothing served in the train that had no pantry. Sonani of Sinnar elaborated on the general ticket he and his accomplice were travelling on and how he proceeded towards a "seating pact" that kept away others from babbling. Occasionally windows had to be brought down given that after four in the morning there was sighting of rains at different intervals.  

Obaidullahganj came at 12.20 pm, bandai at 1.10 (efforts should be made to help the old man underneath the stairs), banapura at 2.25 and Khirkiya at 3.25. Etched on the wall here : golden academy  * spoken english * personality development * calligraphy handwriting.
Surgaon bajari came at 4.05 ( the train does not stop here but it is fairly clean), khandwa at 4.30 (the man at the A H Wheeler stall was politely positioned to send positive bytes), burhanpur at 5.40 and Bhusaval at 7 pm. The halt at Bhusaval was energetic enough to energise me to engage in new rounds of conversation for which few had any hesitation. Soon after Jalgaon came followed by Chalisgaon - bada pau is great here- nandgaon and finally manmad at 10. 


For a fare as fortified as 486, the ride from New Delhi to Manmad had little moments of risk. The train ride was good as it brought the functioning of railways and all those who have the occasional craze to focus and also the areas where it needs to keep a vigil on some who take  undue advantage of those with a general ticket rose.

When i visited Upshi  i could hardly sight anyone making an effort to take vitamin C. Normally found in fruits and vegetables, there were no stores in the vicinity that had this supplement label. During my stay in Leh-Ladakh region, the visit to Leh happenned on three different occasion. The first beginning with a ride from Manali on board a bus where most seem to be in a level of stress. When the bus halted at the border check post, some disappeared for a while to find out about those who had the will and power to be their host. Well few showed the urgency to host them; and after check post formalities were over all they could lay their sight to was on a govt. bus which had shown the will to kick the dust and head for Leh rest.    

We were still occupants of tempo traveller and waiting for the appropriate moment for some inside the four lifted wheel to shed their outfit that made them come across as a gambler. As for the driver he was careful in driving and at no point showed his prowess on bribing. It was past six in the evening and after the  bus had left for Leh we too decided to join the fray. 
During the second visit, halted at  padma namtso restaurant and took tea that would not make me bend. 
The board at Upshi showed: Thiksey 31, Leh 49, Kargil 273, Srinagar 481, Chumathang 88, Loma 153, Hanle 201 kms and here there were no quitters.


A mani prayer wheel next to the border checkpost showed the desire of many to move it in the clockwise direction and become dually wise. The third and the last visit was while on the way from Leh to Manali and in the developing night there was least illumination that one could sight. Perhaps Upshi could see a turnaround in power fortune and by then most would be willing to belt out a praise tune.

The stay in Shimla

The stay in Shimla

The stay in Shimla was for three days. Starting on a Monday night and winding up on a Wednesday with sky yet to be dotted with kites. As for Monday musings nothing could be put on board except checking in the lodge where above the reception desk there seem to a be a watch. One Jagannath Gupta along with others  were eager to help me and show direction from the bus stand and after a debate i decided to go with porters for whom carrying luggage was not much of a hesitation.
Tuesday began with an attempt to clear the bowel and in that energetic push the quantity inhaled led to a different and unexpected toll. Despite this unusual turn of event, i did not miss the opportunity to scan the shops and make a noting about their boss-turned-spouse.
Beginning with Indian coffee House , ICW Co op Society ltd Delhi. Next to the menu board suggestion book is available at cash counter. No smoking area. Smoking here is an offence. And here among those present were some debating the strengths of check dams and water that normally comes in tanks.

In the Mall the sighting went like this
 - HP State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd
- Selected items 50 per cent off
- Natural bakers
- Gift Palace
- 7 colours
- Shehzadi
- Quick passport photo service 1 hr
- Tibetan Refugee Handloom Shop
- HDFC mutual fund
- C Fook Chong Co designer chinese shoes
- New Lite business centre
  We *fax * photostat * type* bind *laminate * cyclostyle  STD ISD PCO on P & T approved rates
- Tata Sky
- Rama & Company Est. 1819 Stationers & Gift items
- Ta-Tung & Co Chinese shoe maker
- Indian bank
- J &K bank
- whiteways dry cleaners
- Dim Sum Chinese Fast Food
- Wake & bake
- Ladies jeans 250 only, gents shirts 250 only
- Photo palace
- Reliance mobile store
- Asia Book House books, stationery, greeting cards
- Bank of India
- Minerva book house
- Krishna traders
- Nikkon - blackberry
- Pacific chemist
- Kashmir Goods Emporium

In the Mall from where a rope barricade begins close to a stationary fire brigade 
- City point
- City travels
- Travel Himdarshan
- Himachal Express
Quite close to this is the bust of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

During the stay in the city had the opportunity to visit Jakhu temple.More than two kms from the ridge, the shared taxi option is there. Only one plies and there is a rush to get in successfully. At the Jakhu hill, the Jakhu temple had two new additions. First the small temple opposite Hanuman temple has a  grandeur structure to its credit; second the all new tall statue of Lord Hanuman which is visible from the Mall.
The rush inside the temple was manageable and the priests were cooperative enough to look after devotees. The return journey was accomplished on foot and up and down trek is possible if one is comfortable with mokeys around.

On the day i left Shimla searched frantically for a green lodge where i stayed in April 2010. Was able to place the previous day, the next day it looked to be quite arduous.     

Shimla to Delhi
Left Shimla old bus stand at 10.05 in the morning. The bus stand has counter 1 to 7. Opposite Counter no 6 the shop is manned by an old man who is helpful enough to part with water despite rampant scarcity. Here at the bus stand efforts should be made to provide water to the taps placed there. Pens in silver and gold colour come for rs5.

As the bus left it went past indian railways wood bank officers guest house.  From a local bus hopped on to a ISBT bus. Left Shimla ISBT bus stand at 11.18. Reached Shoghi at 11.45, Kandaghat at 12.09, Solan at 1.03, Himachal border ends at 3 and reach Pinjore  at 3.12. In Raskiya Bagh area nursery , Pinjore, it has a road reminiscent of Puri.
Reach Chandigarh bus stand sec. 17 at 3.45. Left at 4.25.  At the Cold drinks & Snacks Shoppe the young boy hailing from Shimla at the desk is very polite.This Sec. 17 bus stand is fairly neat and tidy.
At 5.30 reach Jhagah.  Going past Baba Nau Jhagah Peer Sayeed Ibrahim.  Quarter to six go past ambala railway station. Though there are diversions on the way, they end after herbal park (probably ghauraunda).

At 8.20 reach Delhi which in the first ten days had rains barely. As rains make some appearance, there is every likelihood that it won't be of the scale that Mcleodganj and Leh can sense. Even if it comes close to that most would be willing to bat.