Arun Rajagopal

Monday, 1 Jan 2007: Happy New Year! January 12, 2007

Salaam Namaste 2007!!! And another journey to welcome 2007. Now to Bangalore. Had booked tickets during my stay in Cochin. I was to travel with a friend on the holiday special 641 Ernakulam – Bangalore Express, departing Cochin at 5pm. Left Kollam at 11am on the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus bound 6346 Netravathi Express. Befriended a lil girl Vava who was travelling with her grand mum to Cochin. Got into Ernakulam Junction just as the train to Bangalore was leaving. Managed to catch the train. Settled into the 3AC coach, chatted with two friends, took some snaps as the special train travelled at breakneck speed. As the train neared Palakkad Junction, the gang of three stepped out of the coach and stood at the vestibuled pathway, crooning (croaking) two liners of popular songs in voices that would have put the most irritating frogs to shame. Admired the night sky as the train whizzed past Valayar and entered Tamil Nadu.

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Tuesday, 2 Jan 2007: Bits & Bytes from Bangalore January 12, 2007

Woke up around 4ish in the morning, as the train pulled up at the outer limits of Bangalore City and commenced a long wait, before entering the crowded station. Found Bangalore to be quite chilly. Got an auto to Hotel Regency Inn in Cottonpet, which is very close to Bangalore City Station. Signed up for a morning city tour of Bangalore, from a travel agent across the road. Slept for a while, and woke up just in time for the guided tour. The bus deftly navigated the crowded streets of Bangalore, as I wondered at the spectacularly high congestion levels in the city. We got to explore Tippu’s Summer Palace, Balaji Bull Temple, Karnataka Arts & Crafts Emporium, Vishwesharaiah Museum of Technology and Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. Felt that the tour was a letdown, as none of these places captured the excitement I felt while being to monuments in other places.

Lalbagh is a nice place to go to if you are interested in taking a long walk, while munching on savoury snacks and watching lovers make out… Got down at MG Road. Checked out MG Road and the adjoining Brigade Road… Had lunch from Hotel Brindavan, loved the amazing south Indian thali served on a plantain leaf. Went to the Garuda Mall, and shopped like crazy. Found Shopper’s Stop to be a good place to pick great outfits. Went to Café Coffee Day next to Forum and indulged in chocolate as we caught up with some friends in Bangalore. Got back to the hotel, but not before the auto rickshaw driver looted us for a fare of 150 Rs, for a ride which would have normally not cost more than 50 Rs. If you are travelling anywhere from MG Road, I would urge you to use the prepaid auto counter, which I discovered only the next day.

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Wednesday, 3 Jan 2007: Blighted in Bangalore January 12, 2007

My second as well as last day in Bangalore, and probably the most memorable day of my trip, albeit in a bad way. Began the day by hitting MG Road and Brigade Road. Shopped at the Bookworm, a small shop tucked away in MG Road, next to Gangarams, one of the largest bookshops in Asia, with 4 floors. I recommend Bookworm if you are looking for used books at good prices. Picked up an unused copy of ‘The Google Story’ at 40 Rs less than at Gangarams. Spent time with friends. Indulged in chocolate iceberg at Café Coffee Day. Couldn’t resist having lunch at Brindavan for a second consecutive day. Service can be a little slow if you sit at the tables away from the bill counter.

Continued shopping. Even picked up a flute from a roadside vendor for 30 Rs. Got to the railway station to board the 637 Ernakulam (Cochin) Express which was departing at 5.15pm. Found out our AC coach, settled into our berths and kept our luggage securely. And then got conned.
This really suave and urbane guy sat opposite to us and we were soon chatting away to glory. He was soon telling his life story. North Indian guy from merchant navy. Going to Cochin to get married. Had so much luggage and spent all the money he had to to book them in the luggage van of the train. Got his credit card ‘captured’ at the ATM in the railway station. Had no money left to buy a ticket. So requested us to loan him some money so that he could buy his ticket. Told us that he would repay us when his people came to pick him at the railway station in Cochin. Now, had he asked us just like that, we wouldn’t have given him the money. But this guy weaved an incredible tale that involved merchant navy, oil tankers, Khorfakkan, a new job at Shell, a love marriage, relatives coming to receive at the railway station and so on and so forth… dignified haplessness, if you might call that. Seemed to be a quite polished chap. As the train was just about to leave, me and my friend felt that even if it was a genuine need, he couldn’t buy a ticket and come back and board the train in time. But things were just happening too fast that we couldn’t refuse him. I didn’t have much change on me, so I ended up giving him 600 Rs. He promptly disappeared ‘to buy his ticket’. It was such an experience, that I still don’t know to date, if that was a genuine need or not. All I know is that’s the last I have seen of my 600 bucks. That’s the price I had to pay to forgetting the golden rule while travelling. Never volunteer to help, especially with money, no matter what the issue or who the individual. When you are on a journey, your first priority should always be you and only you. Be firm but polite, and always say NO. Though it was such a depressing experience, it was such a great eye-opener, meeting the ‘smart conman’ as I call him now. Always keep an eye out for such people, they are everywhere… not just on trains. Felt particularly bad as that was the first experience in my almost month long travels across India, where I had come across scores and scores of beggars, touts, hagglers and shady figures and always managed to steer clear from them. We soon left Bangalore, and met this couple from Saudi Arabia. My friend had to tell this ‘con story’ to them and soon they were telling us tales about how they had been ripped off by strangers, especially in railway stations. Felt much better. 🙂 You can bet that the Bangalore con experience has made me a much better person, when it comes to saying NO. There are some things you only learn the hard way!

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Thursday, 4 Jan 2007: Toddy time at Thirumullavaram January 12, 2007

Got to Ernakulam Junction Railway Station around 5 in the morning. Got a ticket for Kollam in the 6303 Ernakulam – Trivandrum Vanchinad Express. The train was pretty crowded. I stood at the footboard and got some snaps of villages and paddy fields between Kottayam and Ernakulam covered in morning fog and dew. Got to Kollam around 9.30am. It was my much cherished dream on this trip to visit a toddy (kallu) shop and have lunch (oonu) from there. In Kerala, most standard toddy shops serve lunch with delicious seafood. I and my friend decided to visit Thirumullavaram, which has one of the best toddy shops serving lunch in Kerala. We got to Thirumullavaram beach, and checked out the shop by the sea nestled among lush coconut groves. I managed to drink only a glass of the frothy, sweet toddy as my friend downed a full pot over fried fish and prawns. He promptly declared it to be the best toddy he had ever had. Fresh toddy, extracted from the coconut tree and served instantly, is a rarity especially at toddy shops. Ours had some hint of fermentation, but still made a great drink. We then proceeded to the shack across the toddy shop for our much awaited lunch. It was a humble shack, with decrepit benches and tables, where food was prepared right in front of us. I soon settled into one of the yummiest lunches I have ever had. Steaming white rice, sizzling king-size kingfish with fish powder, prawns simmering in tangy coconut and mango curry, ground coconut paste with chilly (called chamanthi in local parlance), fried prawns, a vegetable dish called thoran, lime pickle and curd curry. I regretted having toddy before lunch as I felt fully loaded. The chef and his attendants ensured that we enjoyed their fare to the fullest. It was a heavenly experience! I went back home totally heady and promptly hit bed, only to be woken by a dream.

If you ever visit Kollam, don’t miss the kallu & oonu experience at Thirumullavaram. There is a small yet beautiful beach next to the toddy shop. For the less adventurous, there is a village pond overlooking the sea where you can take a dip, along with the local kids who are always practicing acrobatic diving moves. All in all, an afternoon spent at Thirumullavaram makes for a really fabulous experience. Decided to some rail-fanning at Paravur Lake, a scenic spot near Kollam next day.

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Friday, 5 Jan 2007: Finding solitude at Paravur Lake January 12, 2007

Woke up early in the morning to catch the Kollam – Trivandrum Passenger at 6.45am. Got down two stations later at Paravur, which is 13km from Kollam. Walked along the tracks and got to the lake. Clicked snaps of 2 passing trains, especially one on the bridge, which is less than a km away from the station. Spent more than an hour sitting on the girder of the bridge listening to music, watching an occasional boat drift by and sun rise higher into the sky. Enjoyed the solitude that came with a cool breeze. Discovered the multi-faceted uses of the bridge – which is used by the locals to fish, perform morning exercises, or sit and chitchat. One cheeky individual seemed to derive immense pleasure by crapping under the bridge. On seeing me with the camera must have wondered if I was going to take his snap!

Walked back along the tracks for the 1082 Kanyakumari – Mumbai Jayanti Janatha Express that was to take me back to Kollam. Got back to Paravur, just as the Kanyakumari bound 1081 Mumbai Express thundered past, followed by the Madurai – Kollam passenger which pulled into Paravur and waited for the 1082 to cross it. This was followed by the 7229 Hyderabad bound Sabari Express overtaking a late running 1082. 1082 soon chugged in and hordes of college-goers and office workers from Paravur as well as the Madurai – Kollam passenger got into the train. Got into a jam-packed general compartment, the second from the engine. Couldn’t take snaps, but managed to record a sound clipping of the decked up, freshly painted Erode WDM2 beast with its double horns bleating incessantly and kicking up a storm on its ride. Got to Kollam around 9.30am. Ran into vava and her grand mum at the railway station, waiting for Nethravathi Express.

Had to go to Trivandrum in the afternoon to visit a friend’s family. Opted for the Kottayam – Nagercoil passenger than the KSRTC super fast bus. Clicked snaps like crazy. Watched this crazy dude dangle out of the train and try acrobatics like crazy. Got into Trivandrum Central around 5.30. Took off to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Aatukal. Visited friend’s family, loved the ripe banana chips they got me. Headed off to Karalkada, a famous shop that sells traditional Kerala silk dhotis (mundu) and sarees. Ran into Shaji Kailas, a top Malayalam director and his actress wife Annie. Wondered how easy it is to spot celebs in Kerala. Just a few days ago, we had raced N.K Premachandran, Kerala’s water resources minister in Kollam on our bike. On 31st, the railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav was in Trivandrum to commission the electrified Trivandrum – Ernakulam railway line. Wanted to go and click snaps, but got stuck in Ernakukam. Boarded the 6347 Trivandrum – Mangalore Express at 7.45pm to get back to Kollam. We were getting really late for our train so we jumped into a train that was just starting to move in an opposite direction so that we could get to platform 3 where Mangalore Express was waiting. Though we did that quite coolly then, now I wonder how the hell we could do something risky as that. Mangalore Express was jam-packed. Decided to get sleeper tickets up to Kollam. Paid 200 Rs which was swallowed entirely by the TTEs. No receipt, no ticket. Corruption rules? Got down at Kollam, where the train got delayed owing to the massive crowd that hung out of the general compartments. It got so crowded that a group of passengers wanted to travel in the guard’s cabin, sensing the weird situation the guard locked himself up in the cabin, before reporting to the station that it was impossible to start the train with such a huge crowd. An absolute nightmare!

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Saturday, 6 Jan 2007: Rail-fanning in Kollam, Kerala January 12, 2007

Went around Kollam, running errands, finishing up with last minute shopping. In the afternoon, raced the 6323 Trivandrum – Howrah Express from the railway gate / level cross at SN College, Kollam to the over bridge at Chinnakada, Kollam. Almost crashed into a bus. We won!!! Did my last rail-fanning in this trip… went to the passenger bridge at Kollam Junction Railway Station and snapped up the 6323 Trivandrum – Howrah Express, the 6345 Lokmanya Tilak – Trivandrum Nethravathi Express, a metre gauge train bound to Tenkasi and the Nagercoil – Kottyam Passenger. Decided to celebrate the last night in Kerala with a movie. Enjoyed watching the Malayalam flick ‘ Classmates’ for the second time in Dhanya. Got back to packing. My flight back to Muscat was from Trivandrum at 7am. Had to catch a train from Kollam to Trivandrum in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

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Sunday, 7 Jan 2007: Back to Muscat January 12, 2007

Didn’t sleep the previous night. Ran to the station with bag, baggage and dhols, only to find that the train was running 30 minutes late. Finally, the 6128 Guruvayur – Chennai Egmore Koodal Express made a grand entry. I and my friend Subash who was going to drop me got into a Chair Car. Koodal Express is a train that gets crowded because people make themselves really comfortable by stretching out and sleeping on chairs meant to seat three or more people. You can witness scenes such as one’s feet going into the mouth of another (no not another fetish). And somehow passengers, people getting down at Nagercoil mostly, are too polite to wake up others for a seat. That train is a sleeping beauty, where people are sleeping on chairs, on the floor, in doorways, on luggage racks and even under chairs. I dozed off as I was too tired, till a fellow passenger who was feeling that the night was too dull turned on his transistor radio to kick up some action. We soon got to Trivandrum Central, and I didn’t even want to take a second glance at the train, fearing I would lose my interest to return. We took an auto rickshaw to Trivandrum Airport. Discovered that it must be the among the few airports on Earth without an ATM. If you need to find one, you need to walk out of the international terminal and get to the domestic airport. Keep some cash with you (not to dole out to smarties without flight tickets!!!) but for essentials. The airport security won’t let you leave the airport once you enter, but then as I always learnt on this trip a smile can move more than mountains. Checked in, had to pay excess baggage for books, sweets, et al… loved the sunrise as I was boarding the aircraft. The sun was a bright brilliant red cusp… reminding me that the end of every journey always leads to the beginning of the next.

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