Train Journeys You Have to Experience.

This is a list of train journeys that I have experienced in my short life till now. The descriptions are of the time I last went on one of them. I don’t know whether they have changed now. The descriptions are rather short for want of space otherwise I could go on and on for pages about each one.


Rajdhani Express (AC 2 Tier) - The Rajdhani Express is the name of the set of fully air conditioned trains connecting various parts of the country with the capital New Delhi. Food is included in the fare and this train has a higher priority over other trains which means it rarely runs late. Now this is one amazing experience where you do nothing but eat, sleep and watch the scenery outside. Try going on a long journey such as Delhi to Trivandrum/Chennai/Guwahati. This way you can stuff yourself with all the food they serve. Food is served at: Breakfast, Midday, Lunch, Evening Tea/Soup, Dinner. The quality of food is quite good too unlike in other trains.

Shatabdi Express (AC Chair Car) - The Shatabdi express is the fastest train in this country and it is surely a thrill going in one of them. Now keep in mind that this is not the JanShatabdi that I’m talking about which is poor guy’s Shatabdi. The Shatabdi Express is a fully air conditioned train for shot journeys of usually less than 12 hours. In one word this train can be described as ‘posh‘. It is just like traveling in an airplane. With the speed, smoothness and the good food(unlike in planes) helping the journey to be quite enjoyable.

Mangala Express (2nd Sleeper) - Earlier before the Konkan Rail Route, the Mangala Express took the long route going through Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, etc. Now the Kerala Express may provide a similar experience if you are lucky not to be stuck with a bunch of Malayalees. The great thing about his trip is the sheer amount of distance it covers. And you can also meet people from different parts of our country, people of different cultures, religions, etc. If you are anything like Gandhiji you could probably learn half the languages used in this country in the space of the journey. If it is spring then the scenery is spectacular. Concerning food you can get different things from each state. It’s an amazing treat.

Footboard Travel - This is to be done in a reserved compartment maybe with a waitlisted or RAC ticket. This is actually not legal, but on the other hand is quite an experience. It is even more fun when you are with a friend. You can feel the wind in your air and see some amazing things outside that you would surely miss when inside. You should get down at each and every station and buy something different to eat.

Mumbai Local Train - A ride in this during the rush hours is something you will never forget for the rest of your life. It is the extreme rush, the crushing feeling and if you are standing near the door the fear of falling of. You can see crazy Mumbaikars fighting for every inch of space. There are unwritten rules about traveling on the local that every Mumbaikar knows. If you are being stared at, you’ve probably done something wrong. Also,women are not far behind men in etiquette. You can find women, young and old shoving, pushing, abusing ad jostling for place. Some times you can be lucky enough to be the last one to enter and get about 10 sq. cm of space to one of your feet and on to the pipe-thing that keeps the rainwater away. A similar journey in a local train in Delhi or Chennai would not be the same.

Parasuram Express (General) - Travel from Mangalore to anyplace after Ernakulam. This journey was once described by my friend as ‘Hell on Earth’. You can listen to all the different dialects of Malayalam and learn quite a number of new abuses. You can experience a variety of different smells ranging from the flowery mullapoo smell to extreme nauseating pungent smell of some guy who has not taken bath for a week. You should also empty your bowels before boarding since you may never get a chance once the train has started. This would not exactly be fun but is something you would remember.

Delhi-Patna (2nd Sleeper) - Except maybe for the general class, this is quite probably the most unsafe journey. If your ticket is not reserved you can always bribe the TTE. Just make sure you get to him first. And most probably you will find a person sleeping on the floor in each cabin. You would probably have to keep an eye on your luggage all the time.

Konkan Railway (2nd Sleeper) - Make this journey in the daytime to see some of the most awesome scenes in India. And if it has rained, the land would be all green and beautiful. With countless bridges, tunnels and many rivers, streams, waterfalls and more, you will never get bored. You can also get to eat a lot of vada pavs and bhel puri on this trip and if the season is right a variety of fruits too.

Bats love stamps...

Oh look at this!!! this should be the way people meet and get to know each other... there r vampires and werewolves everywhere but we need to know their pleasant side too...
So, "come to the dark side ...and get free cookies" is not the moral of this story....
The moral could rather be...if there's a bat sitting on ur ceiling, please, o please take care of your stamps...
i didnt wanna pull off the real life 'CET' analogy of what the real moral is...damn its so frustrating!!!

KALLAR!!!!!...nature's "magic unveiled"...

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It was a glorious day...

The skies were clear; clear enough for the morning sun to set your alarm clock blush in his radiance... and take over by shining on your open-mouthed sleeping face...

Flowers were in full bloom; full enough to humble the infamous Axe-effect as bees, butterflies, birds and Axe-runners charged towards them...and the guy who had emptied Axe all over his torso stood alone in "no-woman's" land, defeated and subdued...

The markets looked strong; strong enough for beggars and tramps outside the BSE complex in Dalal Street to grow rich by evening...rich enough to shake their booties in mockery at the mighty Ambanis...

The mood was exuberant; exuberant enough for workshop instructors to forget that their work alone was worship...and exuberant enough to set them dancing merrily to the tune of 'Kajra Re, Kajra Re...'

The day was so filled with a strange "peace", that even "Santha"kumaran Sree"santh" realised for the first time that his name said it all...

The atmosphere was of happy reunion; eventful enough that when Rajnikanth's engines stopped abruptly during mid-flight, he remembered to fall down...and gravity became friends with him again...(they'll be married next autumn...hey, u r also invited!!!)

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Yes, the grand day was finally here...celebrations filled the world...
wading through knee-deep water..slipping from mossy rocks...taking hospitality from a bubbly waterfall...we turned gay (strictly in the medieval sense of the world, as implemented by Shakespeare and Wordsworth in their "straight" pieces of literary work)...we turned gay and happy and rejoiced the gift of nature that the kallar river had to offer eight "innocent" boys and their respective shaddies...(also spelt shaddys or schadees)...new spelling suggestions will be entertained because its everybody's birthright to own one...

The celebration was of that very birthright...the energy and vigour of "Team Shaddy" enchanted the beauty of the forest... and wild animals, elephants, tigers, deer, langurs, peacocks, wild asses (and some policemen) came to watch the show...the display of the meaning of life... portrayed well enough to enliven into the jungle's magic a new zest for adventure and gay-spirit...(medieval usage again...mind u, Shakesy and Wordsy weren't gross)

The Eight Liberated Men (er..us!!), glided next into the joy of returning home, carrying wonderful memories that would inspire nostalgic reminiscence( wha..??)...we rode faster than the river, faster than the wind...fast enough that we had to slow down whenever turnings approached... fast enough that we had to step on the brakes when we realized that the lorry coming towards us had two extremely gay drivers in full booze...celebrating...
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wondering where the brackets and the medieval-times hint have gone this time??? don't worry...those two drivers r not part of Team Shaddy at all...but since its a happy day, we forgive u for everything, u careless drivers...oops, one of them was actually a policeman who got picked up on the way by the driver... we got the tip-off that they were rushing home to watch the wrestling match on TV....see??? everybody's so full of life...oh! what a beautiful world...

hey but not everybody's happy...the AXE guy must be still desp... coming to think of it, AXE would have worked out on Nitish N5...man he was the only one wearing a flaming red shaddy and Axe would have worked wonders on him... if a guy ever says he loves mobiles and bikes, he's just too shy to admit his best interest...

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ON A SERIOUS NOTE...
Kallar's an awesome place...the perfect weekend-getaway for a group of boys...but if u r looking forward to a family trip, there r more suitable places further uphill...yup, between kallar n ponmudi...

The day ended well; ended well enough for us to relive "the magic unvieled" in our dreams...and relive it well enough to wake up next morning, unable to move a limb...

Anyways, "HAIL SHADDY!!!"