A train journey to each person will mean something different. To the school going child, it means a trip on a train, watching trains zoom by, waving to the people by the tracks. For a youngster on an educational tour(or any other tour) especially when travelling with his friends, he likens the train journey as the first leg of fun, frolic and freedom. Playing, cracking jokes, trying out the variety of food items that is served on the train. For a family, the train connects them from their home to the place of their relatives or their summer vacation spot. The household has woken up early in the morning, helped the mother prepare boxes of food items, and reach the station. Once, on board, the delicious whiff of the breakfast or lunch makes your mouth water and you wait for the Pantry anna to deliver your meal. On the business...
more... end, the Loco pilot , guard, station master, TTE, and the countless and unnamed gangmen are doing their duty silently, expecting no thanks but yet serving the nation by ensuring that the passengers reach their destinations safely.
On the 20th of May, I had booked a ticket from Chennai Central to Bangalore on a train which I love to hate,the Double Decker. The reason I love to hate this train is that it took away the AC Chair Car from a train which gave me my first ever train journey, way back in 1993 when I was an "innocent" toddler who was returning from Chennai to Bangalore and it was the first time my father used his privilege pass in AC coach. I remember him telling me that he got a promotion and with it, the AC Pass privilege on the day I was born a year ago in 1992.
But since the trip to Chennai was planned in the last minute, the Double Decker was my aapathbandhava and the waiting list was 40 and on 19th, the final status showed something which no railfan ever wants to see on his ticket, especially on a Double Decker -C3, L12, Aisle. So, now I was stuck with the prospect of 6 hours on the DD, in the lower deck and an aisle seat to boot. My only hope was that it should not be a reverse facing seat.
With that thought in mind, I was woken up on Sunday by the EOG of the Rockfort Express that was speeding to Chennai Egmore. Over a hot cup of filter coffee brewed by my aunt, grandpa 21319 AJJ WAM 4 with Kamban wished good morning and headed off towards the gateway to the south, as Egmore was known earlier.
I left my aunts home by 5:50, boarded a local at Kodambakam and was off towards Park. Egmore meanwhile, was buzzing with activity, what with a lot of arrivals and a couple of departures. The Green Warrior of TNP, 11003 was waiting for duties, and AJJ WAP 1 22008 was the power for the Dadar bound Super.
At Chennai Central, a large crowd greeted me, due to the arrivals of two heavyweights from two states. The Alappuzha Express that had 22664 LGD WAP 4 in the lead and the other was the Superfast from Hyderabad.
As a self confessed who lives to eat, it was unthinkable that I board the train without offering food to my stomach. Earlier, there used to be a Adayar Ananda Bhavan restaurant and Saravana Bhavan restaurant in Chennai which has sadly made way for a rather insipid Fast Track. The aroma of the hot sambar is truly missed.
And thus, the first innings of meals was had at the Jan Ahar. I ordered rava idli and vada but what I got was the normal idli disguised as a rava idli. The makers had spread a couple of carrot gratings over the idli and presented the same as rava idli with a vada that looked as though it had been made for the Lilliputian people. The accompanying lentil water and chutney was okayish.
The stomach appeased(to an extent), I made my way to platform 7 where the rake of the double decker was parked. The yellow red livery was fading away and the ripe mango was becoming a rotten mango. I somehow stuffed my luggage on the racks which was designed to hold nothing more than a Wallet and a handkerchief, made my way to the front to see the loco. A white beast trundled along and the loco was 30554, one of EDs stallions. As this loco was entering, on the adjacent platform, the train from the Wodeyar Kingdom, Kaveri Express pulled in. It's RSA partner, the Malgudi Express was to be my train from Bangalore to Kengeri.
The clock struck 7:25 and nothing happened. Another 5 minutes passed. Nothing yet. On platform 8, a white stallion entered gracefully, with the undisputed king, the Tamil Nadu Express. The king entered and we got the green to proceed. Clearing the points slowly, we crossed the trip shed at Basin Bridge, where a lot of P7s and P4s and the couple of G7s were taking rest.
Past Basin Bridge, the situation resembled a mix of highway run and Bangalore traffic, with alternate MPS runs and caution orders. Though some passengers were grumbling at this, I was not too bothered as I knew that these caution orders were for track maintenance.
Post Tiruvallur(Trivellore as it was called earlier, BTW, does this mean there was a di vellore on some corner of India in addition to Vellore), the breakfast seemed inadequate and I had nothing to munch along!! The good folk who sell the delectable items were nowhere to be seen.
As we neared Arakkonam, I remembered that my aunt had slipped in a packet of Milk Bikis biscuit which I had refused to take point blank. Mom or aunt, they are all the same. Insisting growing boys ought to eat.(Although these days, I show only horizontal growth, having crossed the growth limit for vertical growth a few years back).
From Arakkonam, the service began and I had another round of insipid breakfast of Idli and Upma with some "coffee". The towns of Sholinghur and Walajah sped past and we entered the junction nearest to my native Vellore, Katpadi. Slow negotiation of points , platform 1 entry and again a wave of nostalgia hit me. I've waited numerous times to board the C1 of a train that used to arrive at this very platform at the same time, years ago, when it had a P4 at the helm and those lovely AC Chair Car coaches had a decent amount of reclining, unlike the chairs of this DD. Food would be packed in plantain leaves and snacks in plastic boxes which would be washed and kept for the next train journey. But this time, my food would be served in casseroles and snacks in plastic covers.
After Katpadi, I slept all the way till Tyakal, with a brief moment of awakening at Jolarpettai where the 12610, the Express to Chennai from Bangalore was waiting for a crew change and an overtake by the Intercity from Coimbatore that had pulled into the adjacent platform. Three WAG 7s with their loads gave us a guard of honor as we left Jolarpettai.
When I awoke next, we were speeding past Tyakal with a 30 minute delay. The train then entered the suburbs of Bangalore with a stop at Krishnarajapuram where a lot of people alighted. Cantonment saw more people getting off, and as we left BNC, I checked NTES for the status of Malgudi Express. It said it was yet to depart YPR. Joy indeed and thus began a lot of prayers to the almighty, for the DD to reach SBC on time and I should catch Malgudi.
The Lord appeared to have heard my prayers, for the dreaded SBC home was dispatched with a brief halt and we were granted a smooth entry into PF 6. Simultaneously, Malgudi arrived on PF 9, and I ran to board that train, which took me to home, for a nice meal and rest.
