The ride to Uttaranchal

The ride to Uttaranchal

It was a Wednesday i decided to leave for Uttaranchal. Took a bus from Kashmere bus depot. The bus  left at 4.45 pm. Going past Shastri Park, Seelampur and Mohan Nagar crossing. Perhaps before Mohan Nagar crossing there is a Modern Building factory. A series of trucks could be seen parked. Going past Sidheswar Nath Mandir with the board showing Dainik Jagran. Somewhere Agra is shown to be 220 kms away. In the first hour as the bus negotiates through a rough road , there are scores of people riding two wheelers with no helmet. Around 5.45 the bus goes past movieworld. Here movies at Rs 60 (gold Class) , movies at Rs 80 (premium Class) are shown, something not visible in New Delhi capital  With single screens all but gone.the multiplexes have honed the skills of those who believe in multitasking.
The bus reached Muradnagar at 6.02 pm. At 6.17 Modinagar water tank is seen.  A hoarding of 2 BHK, 21 lac onwards is seen.  At 6.30 the bus goes past Moniuddin Sugar Mill. Soon we come across a green belt that is thick and tempting. A greenery that eludes us from 4.45 to 6.30 pm. At 6.52 the board shows delhi 63 km away.
When the bus stops at Muzaffarnagar by pass for meals, the water at Sooravanshi food outlet is amazing. The taste and resonance that it leaves is quite appealing. Few areas in the national capital would have come across this rich form of water. Finally the bus reaches Dehradun a lttle after 11pm.

Again a share taxi ride from national capital to dehradun could be something to look at.

Stay in Tirumala

Stay in Tirumala

Having reached Tirupati with meals taken from Srinivasam complex, the next task was to reach Tirumala and take accommodation in Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. The bus ride lasted a little over 40 minutes. The manager of the said mutt i was in touch from Bangalore and he had promised me accommodation for two to three days. In Raghavendra Swamy Mutt the manager mahesh babu was not to be seen during my arrival and guru rajan from the kitchen department and nara hari from the same mutt i came across. About 20 minutes later the audience with the manager revealed his inability to part with a room and for the dormitory as well the inability impression was largely displayed. As a result had to check in uttaradhi mutt.

The stay was for three days, with the rent having been fixed at 500rs a day. There are other rooms in the mutt as well with fare a little over 100 rs, coming with a common bathroom. On a Friday joined the queue a little after eight in the morning. A little  before 12 came to the ticket section. The rush was huge; the best part being there were fewer standstill moments, the crowd movement being registered almost every other minute. There were a series of stairs to be negotiated, all done with the avowed aim of ensuring a seamless movement. After 12, the assembled crowd had been put in different halls. Exit a little after 12.40pm from the hall i am in, the time taken to reach sanctum sanctorum was another 30 odd minutes. Managed to get in and secure a fleeting glimpse of the lord. Came out by 2pm. Nowadays there has been some changes in the queue system as reported in papers where it takes less time and in all there are three lines with pushing and shoving almost absent.

A little before 3.30 went for meals at Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex. The meals refreshing, the Superintendent happenned to be Raghu with Muni Ramaiah taking charge of CRO complex.The following day got into the queue at railway reservation office to secure a return ticket, the effort yielding a waiting list status. Decided to proceed to Tirupati to figure out the chances by other trains and if not that by air from a distant destination. The cyber cafe in Tirupati is near the bus stand. For flights from Hyderabad and those from Chennai to the national capital, the fare looked reasonable going by on spot booking that generally leaves a big hole in the pocket. But the same fare when tried to reason out with airport officials showed a different price tag. In Tirupati airport, the drinking water meant for public is too hot and there are no water coolers outside. As for those waiting in the cars to ferry passengers and others assembled outside airport the drinking water becomes an issue.

The ride to the airport is taxing and with no public transport, except for one bus which departs at 2pm for tirumala everyday,  one has to search for a return transport. Took a lift on a bike and later followed this up with a bus ride. Took meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex after 3pm. While coming out of the complex came across a young lad wrapped in a dhoti who looked to be tired. Engaging in a conversation he revealed to be tired and was preoccupied with thoughts on things to do while entering the complex. Haling from Bangalore, the boy seemed to convey the rush inside the temple had sapped him of the energy that each day brings with. There was another gentleman  hailing from  Mandya or Shimoga who said the Lord of Tirumala was his home god and he visited the place every month.

On a Sunday got into the queue by 6.40 am and was able to get a return ticket by Duronto meant for next day. Left Tirumala by 10 pm. It is advisable that to get a bus seat for Chennai one should book in advance from Balaji Station. While coming to Tirumala from Tirupati, a share taxi ride would be advisable. Similarly if there could be shared taxi ride from Tirumala/Tirupati to Chennai it would be handy for devotees. Having reached Chennai a little after 2am, the benching arrangement next to 6a platform is noteworthy. The ride on Duronto wasn't good; the relaxed template could only be availed once i had a change of seat. Those seated next to you could well be an anthropologist, scientist, scribewallah, someone who is good to talk at and surely disposed to hygiene surroundings. A berth with a large number of occupants is acceptable if things are within limits On a ride from Ajmer in the month of March, there were a series of vacant berths, probably to do with fewer willing to take the train on that particular day

The stay in Tirumala was ok with meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nityta Anandana complex proving to be an enrighing experience. The four streets have an aura of their own. Came across Chandra, the paper vendor near the STD booth which is run by R Anadan. The tea from an outlet near Lepakshi seem to carry different price tags at different hours, with other vendors too charging over rs 7. Rs 7 should be the desired rate and for soaps like medimix which come for 3 rs, the asking rate at places were above six or seven. Similarly other necessities too could have been overcharged and the brunt being borne by common pilgrims. As for those with an i card, the accommodation in TTD rooms/cottages  should be considered. Tirumala one can stay for two to three days if accommodation at reasonable rates can be provided.

Stay in Tirumala

Having reached Tirupati with meals taken from Srinivasam complex, the next task was to reach Tirumala and take accommodation in Raghavendra Swamy Mutt. The bus ride lasted a little over 40 minutes. The manager of the said mutt i was in touch from Bangalore and he had promised me accommodation for two to three days. In Raghavendra Swamy Mutt the manager mahesh babu was not to be seen during my arrival and guru rajan from the kitchen department and nara hari from the same mutt i came across. About 20 minutes later the audience with the manager revealed his inability to part with a room and for the dormitory as well the inability impression was largely displayed. As a result had to check in uttaradhi mutt.

The stay was for three days, with the rent having been fixed at 500rs a day. There are other rooms in the mutt as well with fare a little over 100 rs, coming with a common bathroom. On a Friday joined the queue a little after eight in the morning. A little  before 12 came to the ticket section. The rush was huge; the best part being there were fewer standstill moments, the crowd movement being registered almost every other minute. There were a series of stairs to be negotiated, all done with the avowed aim of ensuring a seamless movement. After 12, the assembled crowd had been put in different halls. Exit a little after 12.40pm from the hall i am in, the time taken to reach sanctum sanctorum was another 30 odd minutes. Managed to get in and secure a fleeting glimpse of the lord. Came out by 2pm. Nowadays there has been some changes in the queue system as reported in papers where it takes less time and in all there are three lines with pushing and shoving almost absent.

A little before 3.30 went for meals at Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex. The meals refreshing, the Superintendent happenned to be Raghu with Muni Ramaiah taking charge of CRO complex.The following day got into the queue at railway reservation office to secure a return ticket, the effort yielding a waiting list status. Decided to proceed to Tirupati to figure out the chances by other trains and if not that by air from a distant destination. The cyber cafe in Tirupati is near the bus stand. For flights from Hyderabad and those from Chennai to the national capital, the fare looked reasonable going by on spot booking that generally leaves a big hole in the pocket. But the same fare when tried to reason out with airport officials showed a different price tag. In Tirupati airport, the drinking water meant for public is too hot and there are no water coolers outside. As for those waiting in the cars to ferry passengers and others assembled outside airport the drinking water becomes an issue.

The ride to the airport is taxing and with no public transport, except for one bus which departs at 2pm for tirumala everyday,  one has to search for a return transport. Took a lift on a bike and later followed this up with a bus ride. Took meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nitya Annadana complex after 3pm. While coming out of the complex came across a young lad wrapped in a dhoti who looked to be tired. Engaging in a conversation he revealed to be tired and was preoccupied with thoughts on things to do while entering the complex. Haling from Bangalore, the boy seemed to convey the rush inside the temple had sapped him of the energy that each day brings with. There was another gentleman  hailing from  Mandya or Shimoga who said the Lord of Tirumala was his home god and he visited the place every month.

On a Sunday got into the queue by 6.40 am and was able to get a return ticket by Duronto meant for next day. Left Tirumala by 10 pm. It is advisable that to get a bus seat for Chennai one should book in advance from Balaji Station. While coming to Tirumala from Tirupati, a share taxi ride would be advisable. Similarly if there could be shared taxi ride from Tirumala/Tirupati to Chennai it would be handy for devotees. Having reached Chennai a little after 2am, the benching arrangement next to 6a platform is noteworthy. The ride on Duronto wasn't good; the relaxed template could only be availed once i had a change of seat. Those seated next to you could well be an anthropologist, scientist, scribewallah, someone who is good to talk at and surely disposed to hygiene surroundings. A berth with a large number of occupants is acceptable if things are within limits On a ride from Ajmer in the month of March, there were a series of vacant berths, probably to do with fewer willing to take the train on that particular day

The stay in Tirumala was ok with meals from Tarigonda Vengamamba Nityta Anandana complex proving to be an enrighing experience. The four streets have an aura of their own. Came across Chandra, the paper vendor near the STD booth which is run by R Anadan. The tea from an outlet near Lepakshi seem to carry different price tags at different hours, with other vendors too charging over rs 7. Rs 7 should be the desired rate and for soaps like medimix which come for 3 rs, the asking rate at places were above six or seven. Similarly other necessities too could have been overcharged and the brunt being borne by common pilgrims. As for those with an i card, the accommodation in TTD rooms/cottages  should be considered. Tirumala one can stay for two to three days if accommodation at reasonable rates can be provided.

Reaching Bangalore, leaving for Tirumala

Reaching Bangalore, leaving for Tirumala

Having reached Prashanti Nilayam, and having stayed for two days, the next destination to be approached happened to be Bangalore. Taking Coimbatore Express which departs a little after 5 in the evening, the waiting list of 6 wasn't much of a botheration as it involved a little over five hours journey. The gentleman coming from Mumbai and proceeding towards Bangalore was helpful. He happenned to be s k srikara
sales and application engineer, working in Bangalore. A stiff TTE, who became normal a little later, the transformation came about courtesy a gentleman from Bangalore doing the needful.


Hailing from Dawoodi Bohra Community

Adjacent to my seat there were a handful of people hailing from Dawoodi Bohra Community. Interaction with them brought forth the Bhindi Bazar and its redevelopment. How extensive would be this endeavour, something elaborately spelt by Shekhar, the writer, while doing walk the talk episode. Of late the paper in which the transcript appeared has been short of stories on the north east. One story spelling the last of Maruti 800 rolling out from its plant and the same car being shipped to the North East was quite engaging. It appeared in Eye which had an eye for detail as long as it appeared in A 4 format.  Bring more northeast writers or those hailing from Ladakh onboard. Instead of writing about art exhibition here or solo dressing effort there, bring stories of society in churn. As for the paper from the East,  a series of stories on Jute mill lands that had been taken over by developers as mills had not been functioning for long. On these lands series of electoral meetings took place during campaign period and the page that featured these stories had the facing page on real estate and the empire they were presiding over. The paper from the east is ok but be little careful about ads and on which page they appear.


Relaunch of Maruti 800 and Ambassador

As for Maruti 800, the relaunch should be tried in earnest, same as the need to try relaunch of Ambassador car from its plant in the State of West Bengal. Coming back to Bangalore ride,  the people hailing from Dawoodi Bohra community were in their elements and we discussed with them about redevelopment of Bhindi Bazar and the time it would take to complete the exercise. People were soft spoken and they divulged that one passenger among them had a waiting list of 12 and the TTE the previous night was kind enough to accommodate them. Among others in the coach were students and some destined to travel to Coimbatore.

No response on Sudharshan Token
The train after a series of halts, some scheduled, some unscheduled, reached Bangalore Central a little after 10.20pm. I checked into Subhadra lodge in SC Road after 11. The first night meant bed bugs had to be negotiated and following this night i had to shift to another lodge. Mind you except for bed bugs, there was no iota of inconvenience in Subhadra lodge where the staff is very helpful. Before shifting to Royal Lodge in Bangalore, i visited 16th cross Vyalikavel Malleswaram which houses the office of TTD. Here the TTD temple and the statue of the lord is quite enriching. As for the office it is in its own world, where queries on Sudharshan Token and its availability does not elicit any response. In Tirumala i was told the Sudharshan token has been made online. Till  now Arijitha  sevas had been online. Now even Sudharshan token has take the online route. Of all the pilgrims visiting Tirumala at least 88 per cent don't access net. So how come the online hooter is advisable.

Visiting K C Das outlet
Vyalikavel did not get me the requisite response. In malleswaram there is K C Das outlet, the curd dished out is quite wonderful. Headquarters of K C Das is in Kolkata. Opposite the K C Das outlet in malleswaram is a store whose occupants were kind enough to hand out the change.
Took the bus to reach  vyalikavel and took the return ride in a bus as well after spending almost an hour on the streets to figure out one road in that area which is narrow and sliding down and a has a bus stop on the right. Meals were taken from swathi delux andhra meals from kempegowda bus station.      Met sai sathya narayana who happenned to be editor of sai anantham, the publication coming out from Puttaparthi.

As for kempegowda bus station it is under major renovation, revealing the mammoth of operations during day as well as night time.

Sightings in Bangalore
ttd bangalore
16th cross vyalikavel malleswaram

S C  Road
-balaji provision stores
-royal regency lodge
-royal lodge
-abhishek dress materials
-abhishek bag corner
-new welcome footwear
-sri durgamba lodge
-mayur lodge
-anan regency
-srs travels
-janatha juice corner
-kamat hotel (tea is good from here)
-indraprashtha vegetarian

On  S C Road came across Subramaniam, the cobbler.
On left lane goes kapali theatre road. There is a tea/snack centre. Sometimes coming with moody staff.

On S C Road
srishankar provision stores near here there is a typewriter
raghu the fruit vendor
sri ramakrishna lodge
citi centre
ac shopping arcade
ac shopping arcade monthly holiday 27th of the month. business hours 9.30 am to 10.30 pm
ashok upahar. waiter malesh quite helpful. Opposite ashok upahar is a middleaged lady selling hankerchiefs. The punishing duty hours shows how difficult has been the effort to earn livelihood.

malinga cloth vendor
opposite shopping arcade is santosh airconditioned
badsha stores
central bank of india atm
theatres in the area, amma, triveni and movieland

Leave Bangalore at 1 pm

Reach kempegowda bus station. Take Karnataka Transport Corporation bus from this bus station. The ride is ok.
Reach Vidhan Soudha, take U turn, reach balakundi circle. Shree balaji plywood pic in blue frame is quite appealing.  Reach Lanco hospet toll plaza at 3.29. We are in hotel balaji bhawan around 4.05.  Reach palamner 4.40, reach bangarupalam  at 5.20. Reach chittoor around 5.40 and reach Tirupati 7.30 pm. Take meals from Srinivasam complex and leave for Tirumala at 8. 30. Reach Tirumala around 9.30.

Staying in a hotel is a challenge

Staying in a hotel is a challenge. Looking for simple rooms with attached bath and no other facility, the search and energy expended gets you the room but with a rider which remains invisible for the first few hours. This challenge was amplified in a town of Mussorie recently, where after deboarding the bus, i was on foot for the next three hours to search and secure a room. Rama, Doon Palace Amar,  Sheela, Peak View and some in Camel's Back were some where i made an effort to get the tariff known.
The first hotel which i took in town was in Camel's back coming alongside brouhaha which i could not anticipate. The second hotel looked liveable , and if you could trace commotion after two days , it was a signal that i should leave. Hotels have been known for their hysterical template; some have been known for their peace and their  bid to preserve the same. Mussorie may have brought forward a good number of gentlemen  who were willing to help but for the roof during the night the search and stay was a mixed bag.
The town is good to visit, if possible omit from staying during night. There were scores of men who preferred to visit early morning and leave late evening having been witness to a spectacle of joy and jostling.


 IN Kasauli the gentlemen running the hotel near the bus stand started with a tariff of 800 rs, asking me to come at eight in the morning. By this time the tariff had gone up to 1000rs and a search after two hours in the same hotel the asking went for 1400rs. Garkhal, which comes on the way to Kasauli, the asking rate for 600 rs was in the morning and when i returned after not getting the room in kasauli, the asking rate had gone up to 1200 rs. One boy took me on a bike to a road sliding down suggesting that two kms away from main road of Garkhal, the tariff would be reasonable. It was a bitter experience as the tariff they sought in a hotel was 2000 rs upwards. It was again the second visit to Kasauli and with the help of Chetan, the local resident, a lodge with a resonable tariff i could locate. There were no STD/ISD booths in Kasauli and a stay not spread over two days would be handy.

In Kolkata, there are ample lodges in Chittaranjan Avenue, some coming with the name like City Heart, Avenue and Central. Rates hover between 400 to 500 rs and upwards depending on the rooms. In Lipika Inn and Metro, the first in Surya Sen Street and second near Kalighat, non ac rooms are available on occasions. Both lodges are comfortable with no ruckus seen around.  In Esplanade lodges can be taken with little caution. 

Road discipline and commuters


Issues on road that women and elderly gentlemen would face if corrective measures are not put in place

Reaching Tirumala; stay in Tirumala