Indian Railways are always developing new ways to book ticket reservation easy and hassle free. Online ticket reservation has reduced the time to book ticket and also the long queue.

Online ticket reservation has also replaced the old tradition method of ticketing and managing the bulk record.

Now Rail tickets booking can be done through your mobile too. In another three months we are in a position to book rail tickets through mobile phones.

IRCTC has accepted the proposal and to work on the scheme. It was earlier proposed that commuters should be able to book their rail tickets through mobile phones.

Now, no need to carry rail ticket with you because after getting confirmation of the ticket, IRCTC would send SMS to customers telling them the seat and berth number.

Rail Tickets are however considered important because their absence could cause problems during the journey. Therefore, passengers would be required to get the train ticket from railway stations.

The facility enabling us to make bookings through mobile phones would definitely be beneficial for us. It would mean reservation would be at our finger-tips.

Another trip over and another return to Australia. My fourth visit to India and my second visit to Nepal have yet to satisfy my cravings for these cultures. It appears that each time I return to this great country I call home, I am instantly ready to turn around and visit the foreign lands that I love.

Well for now, I am back in Sydney and enjoying the time with family. I will keep my love affair with India and Nepal going through my writing  for the time being.

28 days, 2 countries, 1 wedding, an elephant ride and a multitude of beds. This doesn’t even come close to summarising the great trip I have just had. I’ve been driven through mountains and laid on beaches, I’ve danced on river boats and sung with children, I’ve washed clothes by hand and eaten the finest Seafood of India, but still there is so much Iam yet to see or do.

Over the next month I will be reflecting on this trip with many stories, tales, recounts and tips, but for now here are some of the highlights:

- A fabulous 4 day wedding in Delhi, India

- 1 day trip to Jaipur with spur of the moment dance in Wedding Procession to finish the day off

- Return to the Magical Taj Mahal for my twice in a lifetime experience

- Flying into Nepal in the midst of Maoist Strike mayhem and a 6 day hold on Petrol across the country

- Visiting the most popular sites of Pokhara, Nepal, on the back of a motorbike

- Watching the sun go down at the serene Lake Begnash, just outside Pohkara Municipality, Nepal

- Taking a riverboat ride to the Elephant Orphanage Chitwana nd naming a baby elephant, Malachye

- Riding an Elephant through the Jungle of Chitwan National Park

- Making Momo’s and washing my clothes by hand in a real Nepalese home

- Learning to count in Nepalese from a 3 yr old and practicing the alphabet in English

- Taking the morning Everest Flight past the mystifying Himalayas

- Visiting two community schools built by the amazing organisation Room to Read, www.roomtoread.org

- Cruising the Bars of Baga Beach, GOA, India

- Staying with an Indian Family in the South of Goa, friends of friends I met in America- small world!

- Taking a tour of the senses at the Tropical Spice Plantation, Goa, India

- Being treated like a movie star on the Swastik River Cruise near Panaji City, aka being asked for many photos by Indian Tourists.

- 12 hour train ride on the Indian Railways from Goa- Mumbai. A meal and 4 cups of tea will cost you just over $1 and for less than $20 you have a sleeper in an AC compartment

-Watching a friend’s friend in a  Stand up Comedy club in Mumbai, only to be the butt of the Australia Jokes, thanks Rohan Joshi!

- Eating Seafood at the famous Apoorva restaurant, a favourite in Downtown Mumbai

- A weekend in Daman with a group of 5 young Indian Professionals

- Sailing at Sunset in front of the Gateway to India and Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, India

- Visiting the World’s largest Laundry- The Dhobhi Ghat, Mumbai, India

A fantastic trip with many more highlights to come. Please visit India and Nepal. You will not be disappointed by the diversity, beauty and interesting culture of these 2 great countries.

Please post your requests for stories below in the comments section and read about the destinations you most wish to see!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And may 2010 be filled with travel and adventure for us all!

How do we improve safety?

1. Is modernization of signaling infrastructrure the answer?

2.Is better training the answer?

3. All the above? 

This is in reference to two accidents that we have witnessed recently near Mathura and near Jaipur. As citizens we are entitled to know the root cause of the train accidents . We understand that Indian Railway has made significant investments in technologies and then why these safe guard mechanisms are not working. 1. Can people in the Indian Railways update us how many trains are equipped with train protection systems and warning systems2. How much money is spent per train in equipping the train with train protection systems and warning systems3. Which vendor or contractor did the work for implementing train protection systems4. What steps Indian Railways has taken to prevent such accidents5. We have read that Konkan Railways has developed Anti Collision Device indigenously. What are the current issues in the current system. If the current systems are not working, we should scrap them and buy from reputed international technology vendor and improve the safety6. How does Indian Railways ensure that signalling department has deployed designed and tested the signaling systems, applications and infrastructure as per the latest European standards CENELEC standards and SIL4 requirements. What proof the signalling dept is gathering from vendors to ensure that their design and tests go through thorough due diligence 7. Who is accountable for such accidents.

So my cousin decided to get her daughter married. That’s no revelation, that’s what girls from Bihar do for sure – get married, and if you are from Mithila – the forgotten land of North Bihar, you do it over 5 days of the actual wedding ceremony!

The mandate from my cousin was very clear, attend with all the family (Kid, wife & mother), and be in early enough to help with the preparations. Well it was very tempting but I opted for a solo trip of three days. This was going to be a big fat Indian wedding as the bride’s parents were well to do with a strong standing in the society. This would reaffirm their ascent to the elite society.

A lot of deliberations and possibilities were explored and discarded. One could take a three day long train journey from Bangalore, get onto the private buses/taxis/trekker etc. Being less adventuresome, my plan was to reach Patna by air, take a train that takes you to the destination Saharsa – a small town (about 50 Km from the Nepal border). Seemed the most convenient route was:

Land at Patna at 1230 Hrs, reach the railway station after a lunch stop on the way to comfortably board the train – Koshi Express that departs Patna at 1655 to reach Saharsa at 2215, in time for a hot dinner and kick off the extreme gastronomic indulgence.

It all went as per plan till I reached the Patna station and boarded the train, aptly guided by the giant electronic display directing me to the platform number 8; barring the minor oversights like no signs on the foot over bridge and the missing number on the platform as well. Luckily I was counting and I reached the train and my designated reserved seat in the AC chair car by the window – chosen via internet booking a week earlier. The coach resembled the looks of the platform; very clearly confirming the democracy so richly treasured in this part of the world – no discrimination in terms of class, status or kind of ticket you hold.

It is also important to understand that this was the marriage season and that too one which had come after a long lull of auspicious dates. During these times you begin to wonder about the probability that every person in the world will be at a place different from the location where the most important family marriage will be solemnized. As the train moved I realized that the coach was full to capacity. There are about 75 seats in the coach, arranged by an aisle with 3 seats in one side and 2 on the other. The person at the window on the side with three  seats (like myself) were slightly better off because both the seats adjacent to the aisle had two passengers each and in a space-constraints-defying -miracle, they could even claim some bit of the seat next to them though railways had clearly tried to put partitions between the seats!

The aisle was another miracle street- two passengers standing adjacent right through the length of the coach and few even propped up on the top of the seats back rests. There were few oversized bags that created vital lung space, especially where a kid or two didn’t find it convenient to park themselves. Another miracle to experience was the hawkers’ maneuver in the aisles with everything from newspapers and magazine to “jhalmuri” (puffed rice snack, bhel equivalent of the east), boiled eggs, cucumber, roasted peanuts in the pod, fresh tea-coffee kept warm with the kerosene stove attached to the kettle and modern snacks like chips, biscuits and chocolates, right where you thought another person wouldn’t fit in. The art of balancing the oversized baskets, secured tightly to their chests with most innovative ties  is a lesson in dynamics.

The train started on time and I was suitably impressed. There was news of a train being fed to arson by the Maoists not very far from this place. The fact that the activists had apologized the very next day for their deed saying “we regret the action as it adversely affected the very people they are fighting for” – surely meant that they would not commit the same error the next day, right? Well, one can’t really plan for such things and such decisions should be made before embarking rather than letting it shadow this wonderful ride. It’s only when one steps out of their shielded protected backyard that the reality and seriousness of these threats dawn on you.

As the train chugged along, the activities in the coach began to heighten. Some seasoned travelers were more prepared and quickly unpacked their bag of goodies. The coach quickly started smelling of the freshly cooked savories. I smelled the ubiquitous mango and stuffed mirchi pickles. The aromas of common spices like roasted cumin seeds, asafoetida, fresh coriander, garlic and so many subtle ones created due to the infusion of the spices and the preparations. The fresh earth smell of wheat flour mingled well with all the accompaniments. One would certainly want to drop inhibitions and beg for a bite or two, but I could not get around to doing that.

I comfortably retired into listening to my music with the ear phones cutting out the ambient sound progressively marching towards new crescendos in a symphony with the constant clatter of the train on the steel tracks. I barely had the time to drift into the train rides in Bihar I had as a child, when I was suddenly jolted back to reality by sudden brakes and howling wheels. The cry in the coach was “the train has caught fire!” It was rather confusing as the sentiments of the news seemed more sedated than desperate. Quickly the severity of the situation was realized as an overpowering burning smell began to engulf the milder smells and flavors I spoke about.

The first reaction was of course panic. Being cloistered in a steel cabin with no visible way to come out would surely not make anyone wait to be toast before screaming for help. Keep in mind that we are talking about a coach packed to the brim and any sane mind would take less than a moment to realize that there is no way out. But one can really not expect the common mind to be sane, can we? It was pandemonium. Suddenly the coach seemed to be fuller than what it appeared the previous moment. People were trying to climb on each other and the coach became a gravity defying spacecraft cabin. It seemed that everybody had a prayer on their lips and a resolve to reach that fast disappearing gap in the door.

It was rather strange how I took in this whole experience. It took me a moment longer than others to understand the impending peril. This would be my grand curtains! The natural reaction – run for your life! came first and I tried lunging to the door. Then it dawned that I could salvage some of my belongings. I was somewhere in the middle of the compartment. The realization that I had no chance of making it to any of the doors came next. I’m not the kind who would give up so easily, neither I am of the sort who believes that there is a God designed for such predicaments. I amazed myself by thinking about the emergency exit – possibly due to the experience of nearly a million air miles and the multiple security drills and announcements I have been involuntarily subjected to.

Of course no one else was interested in that innocuous sign on either side of the coach clearly marking out the emergency window exit. I sighed with cautious relief, what’s the chance that the window might not be designed to break easily? Anyway, I never had to test that as sanity returned to the coach as quickly as the pandemonium had erupted. The alarm was false and there was no need to evacuate. There were some mixed cries of relief and life returned to the usual excitement in the coach. Some analysis – a standard approach to any minor or major event, directly or indirectly impacting their lives, followed the event and the reaction to it. Anyways, I thought that probabilities were clearly stacked against any such event happening again in this journey. I returned to my own reflection and soothing the nerves with some water and switching to easy music on the music player.

The next break in my peace was an animated discussion, actually more of an argument. I gathered it was about the current state of governance in the state. For the lesser initiated, it might help to know that Bihar saw a change in the power equation as the decade old government lost to a newer local party and there have been some marked changes (improvements) in the state of affairs. But then you still have some very devoted old faithfuls. The famous Indian democracy got free play here and quickly the two parties seemed to have run out of points to debate and got to the free-for-all fist fight. Like a possessed ninja warrior, one of the guys lunged into the air and delivered a couple of humiliating slaps on the other guy! What ensued was hour long mediation on the part of the other debate participants. Somewhere near the arrival time, the conflict was resolved and I started to wonder about the arrangements for me to get to the marriage venue from the station.

The main streets of Bihar can be intimidating for even the locals. The lack of regular electricity supply means that the street lights are not functional. It is most advisable not to venture out on one’s own. I asked the ticket collector the expected time of arrival. “The train is about an hour late” he said and I informed my hosts accordingly. One of the utilities that has been able to defy the general state of affairs is telecom. You can get uninterrupted cellular network coverage right through the state. 11:15 would still not be too bad to reach, I thought to myself. That meant I had about half-an-hour to organize myself and be ready to disembark. With the tinted glasses and virtually no light anywhere in sight, it just meant that I had to wait for the train to arrive at the destination. After countless stops and starts and false alarms of arrival, the train finally came to Saharsa station. It was 11:45 PM, so I technically did make it to my destination the same day!

My hosts had a reception committee awaiting me at the platform. For the first time since the evening, I actually felt at ease. I will spare the details of the stay at the wedding – another prime candidate for a blog sometime!

While this trip did leave a lasting memory for me, I drifted a few times thinking of the countless commuters who do this journey many times over. Then, is it not true that it takes an outsider to appreciate the nuances. My return ticket was booked on the same train but I had a resolve – till the current memory is overwhelmed by a more exciting one, I am not stepping into a Bihar train in a hurry…

Have you ever been a victim of this malice, or, are you plagued by this sore as well, just like many of us? You are not alone!

Have you been on the receiving end or listened to anyone giving this, what I call as a 5-minute alibi, for their time commitment, when you know for sure, the 300 seconds – is a good amount of time to accomplish many a thing in this world – for sure would not suffice the activity in hand?

“You said you will be here by 9:00 AM, where are you?”

“I am caught in the traffic, sir. Will be there in 5 minutes!”

“So, how long this will this thing take?”

“5 minutes sir, it will be ready!”

During a recent train ride, I happened to eavesdrop over a mobile phone conversation of my co-passenger. We are at least 3 stations before the final halt and I have no idea, from that final destination, where he has to go to meet his client.

“Sir, will be there in 10 minutes sir.”

“…”

“hehe, no sir, just 5 more minutes, I will see you. hehe”

He shut off his phone, without a semblance of remorse for what he just committed.

First of all, from where we were to where he has to go, I cannot understand how that 10 minutes got reduced into 5 minutes, unless my friend has got the super natural power to speed up the train or fly out like a Superman!

Jokes apart, the point is that, when it comes to Time, I can’t believe why on earth we commit something, which we know for sure we cannot meet. Or, how did we lose significance of the units of time and started pulling numbers out of thin air. But, we all do that quite naturally.

Many a time, I have been a victim of these false jives, watching my 2 an 5 minutes promises turn up into hours, waiting for my fellow individual to show up.

This is not limited to individuals alone. Have you listened to the continuous machinated rants in our railway stations?

“Train No. 1234, bound for … will arrive shortly on platform number…”.

Unable to comprehend the term ’shortly’, I keep waiting and even cross the dreaded, yet obscure, yellow line to take a peek into rail track. After a good 15-20 minutes, there you have the divine emergence of the black monster, chugging at its own pace, perhaps, based on the mood of the engine driver.

Agreed, we live in a complex world, and the infrastructural deficiencies add up to the error factor. But, most often, without making any attempt to predict the actual, we end up erring by a huge margin.

It is always the case of, throw some number and care less of the reality, with the modern day time machine dangling around our wrists more for ornamental reasons.

I’m sure anyone who is frequent on trains, esp. traveling sleeper class would agree with my thoughts here, fact is – things are changing but we are not there yet!
To start off things on with a positive note, yes Ms. Mamta Banaerjee does have good intentions of making things better but it’s we Indians and our attitude that doesn’t notice the changes or are too reluctant to change. While traveling this time to n fro from b’lore to Delhi on Sampark kranti express I noticed that trains are more cleaner, seats are better and the middle seat introduced in Lalu Ji’s era on the side berth has been removed (sigh). Well that was surely a pain and I would have cursed Lalu G more than anybody else if I had to ever travel on the middle side berth seat as its like you can’t sit, you can’t lie down properly and you get suffocated. Coming back to the positive note well the staff at railway (in pantry) is friendlier and honest now. Though you might hear sometimes that ‘I don’t have change and will give it to you on my way back’ and he forgets his way after that . Another thing to appreciate was there was a cleaning crew which came to clean the coach on a moving train with a proper apparatus and cleaning material. This is really appreciated as I know how we Indians abuse the train in long journey, making it as dirty as possible and least bothered about it after reaching our destination. So the crew was handy and along came a supervisor who gave me a feedback form to fill (attached is the pic of the same). What went wrong here was – that the cleaning crew were doing there job as they have to and not because they want to, they cleaned what can come easily in their reach and left the rest. I believe a little change in their attitude will take our railways to the next level.

Second notable thing was the food served from the pantry, now keeping in mind that Sampark Kranti has only 6 major stations which comes either before the meal time or may be hours later, we travelers had less option but to eat the pantry food (which I believe is a far better option then buying something on station). Now a visit to pantry will make you puke (literally) as its messy, plus the pantry crew doesn’t know the word called ‘HYGIENE’ so may be Ms. Banarjee should look into this matter as well and either equip the railway staff with some sanitizers or may be some hand gloves and face masks.
I would say the meal served was light and well cooked so one doesn’t feel too heavy but is slightly over priced. At the same time a strong suggestion would be to provide a tissue paper with the meal to wipe hands or else we’re dragging ourselves to the wash basin with dirty hands and touching them here and there on the train making it dirtier.

Third and the most important of all would be cleaning of toilets, now in a coach you have 4 toilets for 72 passengers (excluding those who just hop on) and though it did get clean once when I was going from Bangalore to Delhi. It was not touched when I was coming back on the same train a week later. The toilets were stinking badly and I had some co-passengers who were smoking inside the toilet making it impossible for others to use. Considering the fact that Indian Railways is by far one of the biggest money making organization and that irrespective of where you have to travel by train across India you are suppose to book your ticket for at least 20 days in advance to get a confirmed ticket, we passengers deserve a little better than what’s done at present. I would suggest Mandatory cleaning and sanitization of toilets at ever alternate stations. Trust me no one will mind the delay when they know that the toilets are getting cleaned at the stations, we can all bear a little delay

Lastly, we’re making the entire India dirty when we’re traveling in a train. No one is bothered to keep their left over or empty cans/bottles in a bag or at a common place. People just throw everything that is not required out of the train as and when they can. This has to change and change for good. How about keeping a garbage bag or may be two/three of them in every coach and educating the travelers to throw all the waste in that. As and when a station comes the cleaning crew can easily dump those bags and the station which should have a collection point from where the garbage can be taken to a specific location/recycling unit. This way we’ll have cleaner railway tracks and off course greener environment. I don’t think it’s a costly idea either, trust me people are willing to change if given a chance. If government makes a rule that this is the way garbage and leftovers will be handled on a train then we’ll see India getting cleaned in no time.
Long live Indian Railways!

Indian Railways is the govt owned railway company, which owns and operates most of the country’s rail transport.

Indian Railways transpors over 20 mln passengers and has one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world, the indian railways transports more than 2 million tonnes of freight daily.

PNR Enquiry Here

The Indian Railways is the world’s largest commercial employer, with more than 1.4 million employees across India.

Free Enquiry Here

The railways have installed the rail tracks across the length and breadth of India, which covers more than 6,909 railway stations over a complete route length of around than 63,327 kilometres .

check the Accommodation on train till Departure

The Indian Railways owns over 200,000 freight Trains,  around 50,000 coaches and 8,000 locomotives.

Internet Reservation»

The online Booking can be one done at http://www.irctc.co.in/

some useful links of the indian railways are provided below

Train Between Important Stations»

Vacant Berth Status on Running Train

Weekly Availability at Stations»

India is such a vast country that is cannot be covered by roads alone. he primary mode of transport in India is train. Indian railway is one of the world’s biggest networks.

Indian Railways has a very strong network and extremely frequent and high number of trains. It covers nearly 100% of the country. The Indian railway, being such an important body, is always in news for some or the other reason.

Indian Railway news covers information on the latest trains schedules, fares, rules and regulation, services, facilities, announcements, change in policies and other relevant information about the system.

To gather Indian railway news need not to tune into television news channels, programs, radio, or then read through the newspapers, magazines, railway booklets, time tables issued by the railway ministry, railway offices, etc.

To gather information about Indian Railways, Just click once at MakeMyTrip.com

Anil Kumble bumped into me!

Wow! feel the goose-bubbles when something unexpected happens…out of nowhere.

Along with my family was travelling on Indian Railways, in the middle of Rajasthan. Then came the station Sawai Madhopur, about 170 km N-E of Pink City Jaipur. The kid was ‘intimidating’ me to take him out for a stroll. I have no choice but to oblige him. So I got out of the coach and look …I found, who…Anil Kumble with his wife and huge luggage in front of me. I tried to remain calllllllmmmm. Or you can say I pretended to be calm…

Like most Indians, I am addicted to cricket and like most Indians I consider myself to be the best analyser of a cricket match. For me being one to one with Anil Kumble is a feeling that is beyond wordsmiths.

I checked the reservation Chart. No Anil Kumble. I thought that he must be somebody resemling the legend. And the former Indian Captain will not travel in the ‘cattle class’. Cattle class – 2 AC it was, a super-luxury for a middle class entity like me (they dont’ have 3 Tier AC coach in Dehradun Express, which is affordable!)but certainly ‘cattle-class’ for biggie-wiggies. Now he came to our coach becuase his reservation was in First A.C. which was not their on the Train and those tickets were converted to 2-AC-got-it. Also came to know that this situation of no 1 AC coach is prevalent for past one month and the Railways are still issuing tickets for the same. I thought, Thanks Railways, atleast one time your in-efficiency have lead to good results!

Ok. I get back in the coach. And sat on my berth and suddenly a gentleman came to me and said that seat 3 & 4 have been allotted to  Him. I looked up and hey….its AK standing before me, asking for the seat! I said, in very low tone, Sir I can give my life to you, but dont’ push me for the seat, its mine! Then I said  that Sir, your booking is in 1 AC coach please contact T.T. He agreed and sat near our berth. He with his wife looked tired and frustrated. Like Kumble bowling a last over in a one-day match with the opposition requiring 5 runs to win! Then came the T.T., he greeted him with ‘Hello-Mr Kumble!’ and took him to their births…

Euphoria was abound in the lucky coach. Passengers were in frantic mode calling -up their friends. I also sent out few sms’es to my dear ones. They should share my ascetic moment! Anil Kumble is handsome, and dashing, and has a classic-sophisticated look, that personofies his on-field character. I heard one aunty saying that she has seen this MAN somewhere! Okiii…He is aNNNil! Another one said that if he would have been Amitbh Bachan(not BACHCHAN she would have followed Him, but she dosn’t like kirkkket! “But SRK is the best ” she added.

A train-attendant came to take one of his big luggage. He was shoed-away and was told to convey the message to Anil K. that if he wants the luggage he has to oblige us with an autograph. He chuckled and took the message. Perhaps he was thinking ‘mein bhi autograph loonga’. Back came 2 attendants and requested us for the luggage. We obliged them. After sometime a passenger came with a autograph. We took photos of it through our mobile handsets.

Anil Kumble was obliged with whole cabin by the T.T. Anil deserves this. T.T later told us that Anil K. was very unhappy with the Indian Railways. But for once we passengers were happy…

MakeMyTrip is the perfect site to search or find your dream holiday places in and around the world.

Christmas has arrived in the town, and my pals started to plan for its celebration, as soon as they will get off this celebration, then starts for New Year celebration planning.

I suggested them to visit MakeMyTrip for better planning. MakeMyTrip will show all holiday packages, Hotel packages and flights airfare in such a manner that you get ample of options to fit in.

MakeMyTrip will display each and everything needed by you, all compiled in a single site.

Say for example, MakeMyTrip Hotels search online will display all the hotels in India, International Hotels, hotels around your boarding places and so on. Hotels will be displayed along with the reviews and public recommendations too.

Respectively now you will require for commutation or transportation search. Then just click on MakeMyTrip Railways or MakeMyTrip Flights, it will show the cheap and best airfare as you desire.

Now you can book Indian Railways Tatkal Ticket Online through MakeMyTrip, can check its PNR status, can also cancle train ticket online.

Huh! so many facilities, you to worry now!.
Plan your Holiday vacation or New Year celebration with MakeMytrip.

If you are looking for International Holiday Tour Packages then check our International Holiday Packages, which shows all Holiday Packages offered around the world by MakeMyTrip.

Indian Railways is regenerating itself. Will run with the pace of younger generation. Indian Railways has dedicated to young generation, that Yuva trains will now have double decker AC coaches. Indian Railways has taken this decision with the view of catering the needs of students in the country.

These Yuva trains are proposed to run at 150 km per hour. There will be a total 108 seats in a coach and it will be fully air-conditioned. The ministry official informed that modalities of the Yuva train were being worked out.

A senior Indian Railway Ministry official said that preparations were in progress to start the Howrah-New Delhi Yuva Express and Bandra Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin Yuva Express shortly on a pilot basis.

The Howrah Yuva train will leave from New Delhi station at 4.10 pm on Sunday and reach Howrah the next day at 10.40 am.

The Mumbai Yuva train will depart from Nizamuddin railway station on Saturday at 3.50 pm and reach Bandra Terminus the next day at 8.20 am.

The Yuva train concept was proposed in the Rail-Budget 09 and aims at providing AC seated accommodation for distances ranging from 1000 km to 2500 km. The fare up to 1500 km distance is Rs. 299 and for distances up to 2500 km it is Rs. 399.

Book your Indian Railways Ticket online from MakeMyTrip.com.

A railway line meanders through the Indian countryside. Pic shot in Karnataka near a trekking trail on a cool afternoon.

A train curves along the tracks. Taken on a cool evening somewhere in Tamil Nadu.

A view from a train reveals an archetypal Indian Railway Station on a lazy weekday afternoon.

Whitewater rafting had always fascinated us. When our friend proposed a rafting trip, we quickly made arrangements with Mercury Himalayan Explorations (MHE) who ran a river rafting camp near Shivpuri, 14 Km from Rishikesh.

Late evening last Thursday we caught the Delhi Metro to Chandni Chowk, crossed the underground passage to Old Delhi Railway Station and boarded a crowded and noisy Mussoorie Express to Haridwar. Next day morning, sleepless, bleary eyed and late we proceeded by taxi to the camp. The road between Rishikesh and Shivpuri was dug up for road widening which further delayed our arrival. We got our first taste of a rapid as we boarded a raft (middle oar type) to cross over to the opposite bank of the river where the camp stood perched along a stretch of sandbar below a cliff. Once ashore, we were showed to spacious, well carpeted twin bed tents.

As soon as we finished breakfast, the taxi took us 11 km upstream to Marine Drive for our first rafting trip. The crew helped us into wetsuit, life jacket and helmet. Rajan, the veteran raft captain from Nepal with a scintillating smile instructed us on rafting basics. Our raft was bright yellow, NRS (“Not Really Safe” – joked Rajan) make self bailing type. Once all were comfortable with raft safety and commands (forward hard, forward easy, left back, right back, get down, stop etc) we went midstream and practiced paddling for a while before taking off. A one man safety kayak followed in our wake.

Soon we hit the first rapid, ‘Investment’, a relatively tame one over which we swayed along coming to terms with rafting techniques. On the second rapid, supported on paddles, we stood up on the raft. It was exciting to feel the jerk and pull and lurch of the raft precariously balanced on the edge. Between rapids we drifted serenely along calm stretches of river, gently paddling forward, chatting and taking in the scenery. We could hear the gurgle of mountain springs. Cormorants sunned on enormous black boulders; a bird or two flitted by. There were numerous camps along the shore. At times someone shouted and our raft crew answered back.

Near each rapid we braced ourselves for the wallop and paddled furiously to obtain the optimum angle of the raft to negotiate the rapid. Rajan barked commands from the rear and steered us expertly over rapids as spray fringed walls of water crashed into the raft drenching us. We closed our eyes and dug in the heels as wave after wave slammed into our faces. The rush of adrenalin, the fright and the sense of accomplishment one feels upon crossing each convulsing rapid is indescribable.

At the body surfing rapid, we jumped off the raft, swallowing mouthfuls of (holy) water and clutching the raft for dear life. Once we let go off the raft, we floated down river, buoyed by the life jacket. The water was cold and scary, but the proximity of the raft and safety kayak was reassuring. Borne on the gentle current, we floated face up watching clouds, passing hills, dark menacing scree, blanched sandbanks and overhanging trees, swimming occasionally and listening to hushed ripples, sporadic bird calls and the pervasive silence of the forest. When we signaled, the crew hauled us back on the raft by our life jacket.

More rapids, bearing exotic names – ‘Black Money’, ‘Crossfire’, ‘Terminator’, ‘Three Blind Mice’, left us breathless. By the time we crossed ‘Back to the Sender’ and returned to the camp, we had completely forgotten the lack of sleep and exhaustion and had become die hard whitewater rafting fanatics.

After lunch we did a bit of kayaking. Balancing the one man kayak with the back erect and paddling from side to side was difficult. It took a while to learn the way the kayak responded to paddling. Even with the safety raft present, it terrified us to thrust the kayak into the tail end current of the rapid. Kayaking was followed by tea and adventure activities like flying fox, valley crossing, Burma Bridge and rappelling under the constant vigil of camp staff.

The evening camp fire was enlivened by snacks (chilly chicken, peanut salad and potato fingers) and rafting/ trekking stories. After dinner we came back and sat around the smoldering embers of the camp fire. The somber stillness of night was shattered by the roar of the river; shafts of vehicle headlights intermittently swept across black hills. Conversation petered out as the faint glow of stars, the scarlet radiance of hot embers and the rhythmic flow of the river threw a blanket of reflective silence over us. We found hot water bags under the blanket when we returned to the tent. Lulled by the warmth, I soon sunk into deep slumber as a few confused images of the day flashed across my mind.

The camp site was part of Rajaji National Park. Early next morning we went for a nature walk and trekked across the surrounding hills for about 3 kms till the river bank. Curry plants dotted the trail. Occasionally we heard barking deer. Every forest has a ghost story to tell. Tanzin Angel and Surender from the camp who accompanied us on the trek showed us the house of Sikander who was murdered by villagers. His widow, unable to bear the pain committed suicide. The camp site and surrounding forest are supposedly haunted by the ghosts of this tragic couple. Thankfully the spirits were in abeyance during our visit.

After breakfast, we rafted down from the camp to Nim Beach (near Laxman Jhulah).There were grade III and grade IV rapids in this lap – ‘Double Trouble’, ‘Roller Coaster, ‘Tee Off’, ‘Golf Course’, ‘Brahmapuri’ and many others. Our safety kayak capsized while crossing ‘Golf Course’. Fortunately, the kayak was quickly recovered and soon we were underway. At ‘Any Session Body Surfing’ rapid, we jumped off the raft and body surfed for a while. Cliff jumping was the scariest part of this adventure. I was in two minds as I stood on the cliff edge and looked down into the river. Finally, egged on by the crew, I jumped off the cliff looking straight ahead, arms close to the body and clutching the life jacket. The experience lasted only a few moments, but was sufficient for a lifetime.

After lunch we bade goodbye to the camp, thanking the staff profusely for their bounteous hospitality. Back in Haridwar to catch the train! Another weary night on the crowded and filthy Mussoorie Express and we returned regretfully to our encumbered lives.

The trip was a uniquely thrilling experience. The spirit of camaraderie and shared adventure was beyond comparison. For once, Ganga, the holy river, instead of quenching our thirst left us craving for more.

P.S
We were afraid that December would be too cold for rafting. Surprisingly, it turned out to be pleasant, thanks to global warming. Indiscriminate tree felling and rampant construction is taking its toll of Rishikesh as well. But we found a ray of hope in the following scene. Truly, India Shinig….

Notes:
The title is an adaptation of Eric Newby’s book “Slowly Down the Ganges“.

Adventure Gear recommended by Mercury Himalayan Explorations:
T-Shirts
Shorts/tights for trekking
Sun hat/cap
Track pant
Floaters for rafting
Sun glasses with case
Torch – There are hurricane lamps along every path in the camp. But it is better to carry torch if you do not want to stuble and fall.
Water proof sun block lotion
Personal first aid kit (also available in camp)
Personal toileteries
Camera
Do not carry more than one bag per person.
Do not carry hard suitcases. Carry only soft bags.

MHE offers 3 river rafting packages at Shivpuri
Package 1: 1 Night, 1 Day. Rs.2900/- per person. Includes 1 rafting trip
Package 2: 1 Night, 2 Days. Rs.3500/- per person. Includes 2 rafting trips
Package 3: 2 Nights, 3 Days. Rs.5200/- per person. Includes 3 rafting trips
Local Transport for drop at Marine Drive and pickup from Nim Beach – MHE can arrange but will charge Rs.200/- per person
Taxes Applicable
Camp is closed from mid June till mid September
MHE New Delhi Contact Details:
Mr. Sharfaraz Choudhary
Mercury Himalayan Explorations
Jeevan Tara Building
Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110001
Phone: (+91-11) 23340033, 23346209
(M) (+91) 9990037336
www.himalayanadventure.com

MHE Beach Camp Contact Details:
Mr. Ramakant
Phone: (+91-1378) 261615
(M) +91-9410367492

A very reliable taxi service:
Kuldip
Mobile: (+91) 9410560099
Deep Tour & Travel
Near Gujrat Samaj, Jessa Ram road, Haridwar – 249401
Alternate contact numbers: (+91) 9412072550/ 9837022236
Visit: www.deeptravelsindia.com
Email: info@deeptravelsindia.com

Particularly helpful Camp Personnel:
Tanzin Angel: Currently runs a camp near Keylong with his brother. Aspires to setup his own camp at his native Lahaul in the next 6 months.
Contact details – tanzinangel_geela@yahoo.co.in. You can find him in Orkut.
Mobile: (+91) 9418361559

Surender: Another Lahaul native. Adventure freak.
Contact details – himalayandragen@yahoo.com. You can find him in Facebook.

4041/ 4042 Mussoorie Express: We goofed up on our choice of train. Please do not take this one. It does not run on time.
Mussoorie Express starts from Old Delhi Railway Station (Station Code – DLI). Chandni Chowk Metro Station has an underground passage which connects to the Old Delhi Railway Station.

Indian Railways has issued a new set of rules and regulation in favor of Indian public. The new rules and regulation are in respect of online reservation.

Status of E Ticket after Chart Preparation

Confirmed E Tickets – Wait-listed E-ticket where all passengers are confirmed at the time of charting.

Partially wait-listed/Confirmed/RAC E ticket – Wait-listed E ticket where some passengers are confirmed/RAC and others are wait-listed at the time of charting.

Fully wait-listed E tickets – Wait-listed E-ticket where all passengers continue to be waitlisted at the time of charting.

Authorization to Board the Train

• Passengers with Confirmed E ticket are permitted to board the train. Their names will appear on the chart.
• Names of passengers with Partially Waitlisted/Confirmed/RAC will appear on the chart (including the waitlisted passengers).
• PNRs having Fully waitlisted status will be dropped and names of the passengers will not appear on the chart. They are not allowed to board the train. If full waitlisted passengers are found traveling, they will be treated as without ticket and charged as per extant Railway rules.

Cancellation Rules

Confirmed E ticket can be canceled by passengers through internet before chart preparation Only.

Partially waitlisted/Confirmed/RAC E ticket can be canceled by passengers through internet before chart preparation only.

Fully waitlisted E tickets can be canceled by passenger using internet before chart preparation. After chart preparation it will be canceled by Railways and money refunded automatically.

Refund Rules
After chart preparation, Refunds for Confirmed/RAC/Partially waitlisted E ticket will be processed through TDR process. Customer can file TDR online and refund sanctioned by Railways would be credited back to user/agents account.

After chart preparation, Fully waitlisted E ticket will be canceled by Railways and refund shall be credited to user/agents account automatically.

Refunds for Confirmed tatkal E ticket, will not be refunded, if cancellation is done within 24 hours (doesn’t matter chart is prepared or not).

Even along the toughest paths you get to see some nice sights and meet some good people.

The members of Noisy Pilgrims have not been posting regularly as most of us are going through some form of crisis, doubt or search. Please bear with us till we resume normal programming.

My train is long overdue and it feels like I’ve been waiting for too long a time.

Facing complaints from container operators, Indian Railways have decided to come up with a time table, the first of its kind, for freight trains, giving an assured transit time table.

However, the Indian Railways will charge an extra fee for offering the assured transit time table in freight service.

According to a new proposal, the container freight trains will run at an average speed of 100 kmph to reach their destinations faster.

Indian Railways has also decided the spread new tracks for freight trains, despite of share the existing passenger train track.
So, with the assured track, speed will increase and hence the travel time for container freight will also be reduced.

Though the Indian Railways publishes new time tables regularly for passenger services, there is no time table for freight services.

The freight time table will have the route plan, travel time and the rates among other information.

As per the proposed plan, Indian Railways will charge a premium for the container freight service for reaching the destination within a guaranteed time. However, the special fee has not been decided yet

Train travel can sometime become very irritating. Apart from the irritants that travel with you as co-passengers ( ) you may encounter  cockroaches in the compartment, the compartments not being cleaned properly, shortage of water, over charging,  dirty waiting rooms at the stations etc etc.

So what do you do… crib with your fellow passengers as a ’small talk’? argue with authorities? or just give up by saying chalta hai.

But, have you ever asked for a Complaint Book? Believe me, for most of your worries during train travel,  complaint book is the power at your hand.

I was waiting for my train (which got delayed by 4 hrs) at the New Delhi railway station last month .  Though the first class waiting room on Platform No- 1 is air-conditioned it was very dirty with stained floors and stinky bathrooms.

I settled among cribbing fellow passengers about the dirty surroundings.   “The whole system is a failure” someone came out with a learned analysis.

It was a long wait for my train.  I started using my mobile to help me pass time but soon it gave me a ‘battery low’ warning. I looked around to find plenty of charging points but realized that only few of them worked. People sitting near the working ones were actually in a queue.  I wondered how much effort it takes to fix a few charging points at regular intervals.

I was taken aback by the state of things at the most important station in the capital of India.  I decided to ask for a complaint book. Only that I did not know whom to ask.

I asked the caretaker women outside the waiting room.  At first she thought I am going to complain against her. Only after she was convinced of my intentions, she told me to go to the Deputy Station Superintendent (Commerce). His office was nearby, but he was missing from his place.

Nothing much to do, I made 2-3 rounds after some intervals and finally he was there surrounded by a few people.

“Sir, I am a nuclear scientist working at Mumbai. I have come here to receive my wife and daughter. The train has already come and there is no time to take the platform ticket. Can I go without one?”

“I am a govt officer. One of your police officer at the entrance misbehaved with me. ….”

He listened to a couple of others before it was my turn.

“I need the complaint book”, I said.

“Why? tell me what the problem is and I will try to solve it.”

After I told him the problems, he tried to justify by saying that there are lesser cleaning staff and they have to cover the whole station premises. The charging points are sponsored and the sponsorship is over and that is why it is not fixed.

“Okay.. then also.. please give me the complaint book” I emphasized.

He finally handed it over to me. I wrote it in detail and came back. I was not sure what action will be taken and when.

It was not even 20 minutes, I saw the deputy SS entering the waiting room. He was accompanied by someone in charge of cleaning the station premises (i guess) and a few cleaning staff.  A thorough cleaning was done.  And just before I was leaving to take my train, I saw a group of electricians who started fixing the charging points.

This happened after I wrote a complaint. But believe me, most of the time just asking for a complaint book solves the issue.

So next time, if you are facing any issue due to the Railway’s mismanagement, just ask for a complaint book.

(P.S. :  No, I am not a Railway Officer neither a part of Jaago Grahak Jaago)

While implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations by the Indian Railways may have brought good news for some, it has also created anomalies which have led to discontent.

National Federation for Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) has demanded that these anomalies be taken care of at the earliest. NFIR national general secretary M Raghavaiah said the grade pay system had led to several anomalies in salaries.

Implementation of Sixth Pay Commission has led lot of discontent amongst Indian Railways Employees like assistant loco pilots, technical supervisors, technicians, supervisory staff, station masters, paramedical and ministerial staff have not been given grade pay in line with the kind of work they do.

Another major issue plaguing the Indian Railways was that of vacancies in Railways safety categories. There are around 1.9 lakh vacancies and 90,000 are in the safety category.

This was a grave matter. The number of posts should also be increased in proportion to the new infrastructure and trains added to the system.

NFIR has also raised the issue of working conditions and long duty hours of Indian railway employees. It has pointed out that level-crossing gatekeepers work for 12 hours a day without any facilities. As per norms, duty hours of Indian railwaymen must be restricted to eight hours. Otherwise, they work under extreme stress and strain.

      ‘Madness, Magnificent Madness!’ – Roshan Seth (in ‘Vertical Limit‘). These were the last lines in my write-up of Sakleshpur Railway Track trek in March 2002.

       Madness always seems to be associated with my Sakleshpur Railway Track treks. First time, we covered nearly 58kms in 2 days and second time it was a aimless trek which I did alone. But this time, it was real dangerous – we planned to trek from Sakleshpur to Yedakumeri on Railway Track during night in the beginning of monsoon.

       When Ujjal proposed this idea some one-and-half months earlier, I immediately agreed to it as it was never heard before! We decided to keep this mission secret and decided that only two of us will go for this trek. But last week, I was so held up in project work, that I told Ujjal that this may not be feasible. Finally, on Friday morning, the work was completed and we were all set to hit the track. We left Bangalore at 12 noon, Saturday in KSRTC bus after picking up some food stuff. Had a nice nap in the bus and we reached Sakleshpur by 5PM. It was raining (The first showers of this year’s monsoon) in Sakleshpur so we spent our time in bus stand munching banana chips. After the rain ceased, we went for a walk in the town and had nice, hot masalapuri while coming back.

     We left for Railway station by 9PM after having a good supper. At the Railway station, there was a guard and some people. Fearing any possible obstruction to our mission we skipped entering the station and directly reached the track. It was a dark, chilly, cloudy night. Even though it was a full moon night, the monsoon clouds had completely covered the moon. At times it was raining too.

      But or pace didn’t slackened. Soon we reached the first bridge. It was a real nightmare crossing that Railway bridge on that wooden sleepers without any plates in that dark, rainy night! But, after crossing a couple of bridges, it became a routine.

       As we neared Donigal station, we walked silently so as not to evoke any interest from the people sleeping in makeshift tents. Suddenly, we saw three laborers chatting and they stopped us. When we told them our intention, they were dumb folded! They seriously opposed our idea and tried to dissuade us by telling some incidents of wild elephants. We ignored all their warnings and walked off.

       Dense forest crept in as we moved on the track. We never used any flashlight while walking. Our main flashlight – Moon, used to appear in between the clouds. We went on chatting about music, movies and what all….The forest was noisy with the various insect sounds. We were expecting some animal to appear in our path. Though this forest is the habitat of wild elephants and other fauna, we were unfortunate to see nothing. We only saw a dead snake which wasn’t even worth for a snap.

       Soon, the series of tunnels started. Flashlight came out. In the middle of the tunnel we switched off the torch and stood in that pitch darkness for few minutes. Ujjal started to make some unearthly noises to frighten me and I responded with similar noises to frighten him. We laughed off and went on. At one place there was a landslide and the rubble covered the track completely. There were a couple of construction workers using an earthmover to clear that rubble. Since those workers knew no language other than Telugu, we couldn’t strike a meaningful conversation with them.

       At 1:15AM we stopped to take a break. Outside a tunnel, in that dark night we had a couple of hotdogs and 5Star bars. We continued walking. Our pace was constant throughout.  Bridges and tunnels came and went. We crossed the longest tunnel which is of 572m. Since it was night, bats were not in the tunnel. It’s a wonderful sight to see mist rising through the forests. In that frightening night, we both were walking like ghosts. We used to stop on the middle of the bridge to see the gushing stream below or the take a panoramic view of dark forests and mountain peaks which stood like the Prince of Darkness.

       We had another break on a bridge at around 3:20AM. Moon was peeping out amidst the dark rainy clouds. We sat there eating potato chips while it was drizzling! After taking some snaps, we resumed our trek. Soon, the moon went out as cloud cover was thickened. Darkness increased.

       After some time, the tracks diverted signaling the approach of a station. We had reached Yedakumeri! It was 4:30AM. We saw a light approaching us. It was Joseph, the railway worker. He had thought that we were hunters! We went to his house and he showed the place to sleep. Our sleeping mats came out and as we slept it started to rain heavily outside.

       We woke up at 9AM. After refreshing ourselves in a nearby stream, we planned to have the breakfast. Joseph gave us a vessel for cooking. We prepared Maggi instant noodles in his kitchen and devoured it immediately. We took leave of Joseph at 11AM and descended the mountain through thick jungle. After a kilometer we touched the jeep track. At the end of 3km jeep track, we came across a river called Kempuhole. Meanwhile we met few forest department staff who were working near that river.

       On the river bank, we took rest and ate remaining hotdogs and potato chips. The Shiradi Ghat Road – NH48 highway is next to that river. It was 12 noon then. None of the vehicles stopped for us. Finally a mini truck stopped and we got ride till Sakleshpur. There was an Ultra-deluxe bus leaving for Bangalore. We boarded that bus and dozed off. We had the lunch at Hassan and reached Bangalore at 6PM. 

      We went on laughing at our madness all the time. Even now as I am typing this, I can’t believe that we did this…It’s amazing, awful….Its spectacular, spectacular!