Arun Rajagopal

Saturday, 23 Dec 2006: Wandering Ministrel in Mangalore January 12, 2007

Got to Mangalore Railway Station early morning. Boarded the Mangalore – Coimbatore passenger train for the 132km ride. Soon the compartment changed into a carnival ground with dudes around me belting old hindi songs and me providing accompaniment on my dhol. The gang of crooners got down at Kanhagad, while I continued with my ride. Reached Cannanore around noon. Called up my buddy with whom I was travel with from then on. Wondered if we should hit Rajasthan or go somewhere nearby – may be Coorg or Kodaikanal. Decided to head to Kodaikanal to spend X’mas. Took a bus to get to his medical college in Pariyaram, Cannanore. We set out in the evening back to Cannanore. Got to the railway station where we witnessed a pickpocket being caught red-handed. Our train was still a few hours away. Watched a Malayalam movie ‘Smart City’ in a ‘multiplex’ called Saritha. Got back to the station for our train that would lead us to Kodaikanal. I dozed off on the platform bench serenaded by mosquitoes…

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Sunday, 24 Dec 2006: Disaster at Pollachi! January 12, 2007

The 6628 Chennai – Mangalore West Coast Express snaked into Cannanore at midnight. Got ourselves seats in a first class coupe, as AC and sleeper classes were full. We reached Podanur Junction in the wee hours of morning. Had to change trains and board the metre gauge passenger that would take us from Podanur to Palani. A hundred people gathered around the station building to board this train and the railway authorities held back the train by over 20 minutes to allow everybody to entrain.

Meanwhile I requested the driver of the metre gauge passenger if I could take a snap of the train, only to be flatly refused. We got ourselves first class seats on the passenger train which was headed by a Ponmalai-based (ex-Golden Rock, Trichy) YDM4 which turned out to be a mother of a smoker. Both I and my buddy hung out of the train snapping up the scenery – a million hues of green! We soon made a grand entry into Pollachi Junction. Devoured the yummy vadas (rice cakes) sold on the platform. Ventured to take snaps of an incoming passenger train.

Was promptly booked by the duty station master, who was joined by the driver of our passenger train who complained that I still took pics in spite of being warned by him. The duty SMR turned a shade red when he asked me if I was a terrorist… I tried to bask in the glory. He finally asked me to show him my ID. He cooled down once he saw my innocent mug shot in my passport. Forget about causing terror, he must have made out that I can’t even kill a fly properly. For all the uninitiated rail fans out there, it’s illegal to shoot trains in India, especially on railway premises. You can get booked / get your camera confiscated / or cool your heels behind bars, if you get caught by the Railway Protection Force (RPF). And rail fans still continue taking snaps of trains on Indian Railways. Just visit http://www.irfca.org/ to see for yourself.
Got back into the train and winked at my friend who was busy munching dal vada. We were soon on the ‘rails’ snapping up windmills on the way. Reminded me of Netherlands… the weather was amazing with fog and sunlight playing hide n’ seek.

We reached Palani around 11am. Got to the bus stand and found that the next bus to Kodaikanal from Palani was hours away and that the ride on the government bus was guaranteed to be uncomfortable. Dindigul or Madurai is a better place to get to Kodai than Palani, as it offers you more connections via bus. But as our luck would have it, we soon ran into a couple and an Israeli tourist and teamed up with them and engaged a taxi. If there’s one car that can take six individuals and tons of luggage up to Kodai on a trot, that’s the hardy Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador. The ride on the Palani Hills was pretty exciting as we climbed up the gradient to get to Kodai. The mercury plummeted and fog descended on us. We reached Kodaikanal around 3pm and enlisted the help of a guide to get a room in MYH Green Mountain Lodge. Owing to Christmas & New Year, rooms were very difficult to get in Kodaikanal. We signed up for a full day guided tour of Kodaikanal the next day, followed by a forest tour the day after. We went for a walk around the Kodaikanal Lake, and then took a horse ride.

My steed acted like he would throw me into the lake any minute. My friend got an amazing beast, a 10 month old stallion named Rahul, who was so friendly and docile. Posed for pics with Rahul and then walked the entire perimeter of Kodai Lake which is around 5kms. Went to bed early. The chilly climate did its best to keep us quite awake.

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Wednesday, 27 Dec 2006: Taking a Break January 12, 2007

The 366km ride to Kollam was again pretty uneventful. Once the train reached Trivandrum Central, it slackened its pace and stopped at every station on the way, at times allow express trains to overtake us. Moi indulged in some rail-fanning before reaching Kollam around 9.30am. Took a much deserved break…

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Thursday – Saturday, 28 – 30 Dec 2006: The Cochin Sojourn & How to haggle in India January 12, 2007

Went to Cochin (Ernakulam) on the 7229 Trivandrum – Hyderabad Sabari Express. Took a video of a metregauge train overtaking my train just as we left Kollam Junction Railway Station. Sabari soon kicked up a storm, notched up and exacted sweet revenge by overtaking its puny cousin a few minutes later. Indulged in taking lots of snaps on the way. Reached Ernakulam Town Railway Station in the afternoon. Stayed at the Railway Quarters, Ernakulam Junction with a railway guard friend and his family. Watched the Malayalam film ‘Notebook’ at Kavitha theatre.

Spent the next two days there, snoozing most of the time. Always peeked out of my window which overlooked platform 1 to see which train was entering or the leaving the station. Took lots of snaps, always had a WAP4 or WAM engine parked in the backyard. Hung out with the local kids, roamed around in Ernakulam with the ‘railway kids gang’. On 30th, left for this place called Njheerur in Kottayam District. Watched Ernakulam come to a standstill for three hours in the evening, owing the strike called by local political parties to protest against Saddam Hussein’s execution in Iraq. Stayed at a friend’s place. Picked up my second dhol (drum), this time a really big one, for 150 Rs from a group of travelling salesmen outside the Railway Station. Felt that could have got it for a much cheaper price. This is how bargaining goes with such people. You: How much does this dhol cost? He: 250 Rs. You: I will take this for 150. He: OK.

From my experience buying things from various places, I find that settling for half-the price of an item is a good rule of thumb, as these hawkers generally tend to hike prices when it comes to tourists. Another good strategy is to buy in bulk, as the seller will bring down his prices so that he can clear off his goods. In Goa, I got beaded chains that were selling for 20 Rs for 10 Rs because I agreed to buy out his entire collection. Last but not the least, this sounds weird, but chose your vendor / hawker, just like the way they chose their customers to haggle. You can always make out who is having a good or bad day and who is eager to sell-off their stuff. Usually you quote a price and then feign disinterest or walk-away, especially if the vendor initially murmurs disagreement. Seven times out of ten, the vendor will chase you, and still agree to sell the stuff, sometimes even at a much lower price. It always helps to remember that goods and curios always sold on streets always cost quite cheap, or else hawkers wouldn’t afford to buy them in bulk and sell them on the roadside. Haggle in India, especially if you are new to a place, whether you are taking an auto ride or a jet-ski ride. Put on your best smile, and even try it with a tour operator, like I did in Bangalore and got a discount. Do it with second hand booksellers, dhol sellers and tattoo artists. Just don’t try it at restaurants, railway stations or in buses. Will put you in a real bad light or get the day lights knocked out of you!

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Sunday, 31 Dec 2006: The Ashtamudi Lake Cruise January 12, 2007

Left for Kollam on the 31st. Boarded the 2626 New Delhi – Trivandrum Kerala Superfast Express from Vaikom Road. But before that watched an ox getting slaughtered at the Panchayat Butcher. This is how it goes. They bind it with ropes so that it doesn’t move about much, wrap a towel around its head, and use a giant hammer to bang its head… thrice… and the mighty ox falls down with a thud. Dead. But as they carve up the ox, it begins thrashing again… as some remnants of life are still left somewhere… it’s a pretty gory sight!!! Kerala Express was jam packed with Lord Ayyappa devotees… like most other trains running through Kerala in the fag end of December. Wanted to try something different.

How about a ride in a vallom (traditional boat) in the magical waters of Kollam? Went to the boat jetty, found that a 1 hour ride on a safari boat cost around 600 Rs. Scrapped the idea. Sped on a bike with best buddy Subash to Perumon, Kollam, which is famous for being the unfortunate site for the worst rail tragedy in Kerala in 1988, when a train fell off the bridge over Ashtamudi Lake at Perumon resulting in the loss of over 100 lives. Before that stopped at a nearby railway gate and posed for pics on the tracks. Managed to shoot a video of a passing train: the Howrah bound Trivandrum – Howrah Express and took snaps of the Trivandrum bound 7230 Hyderabad – Trivandrum Sabari Express. Got to the Ashtamudi lakeside, befriended the local boatman Unniraj, who took us on a ride around Perumon. Visited the local toddy shop, but found the atmosphere to be a lil shady; so escaped. Yelped with joy as the big vallom sailed through Ashtamudi Lake and the water birds hovered around us in the twilights.

Unniraj waited for us, as I hogged a double omelette and walked along the Perumon bridge and took snaps, unfortunately couldn’t capture any passing trains. It was dark as we took the boat ride back. Loved it. And the entire experience cost only 100 Rs. Any of you interested in boat rides across Ashtamudi Lake, just get in touch with me to take Unniraj’s number. Got back to Kollam and decided to welcome in the New Year with a sea food dinner at Hotel Shah International followed by watching Mammooty’s ‘Palunku’ at Pranavam theatre, Kollam. Touché!

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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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