A circular journey from Mumbai-Pune (12127 and 11026)

After successful completion of Mumbai Suburban Travel in a day, the next thing on my wishlist was to visit Pune and take the relatively new Karjat-Panvel line back to Kalyan. Since Konkan Railway started operating in mid 90s our annual trips to Kerala shifted from the good old erstwhile 1081 Mumbai-Cape Kanyakumari Express (now 16381) to 16345 Netravathi Express or the LTT-KCVL Garib rath. So I was missing trips via Pune and with the Single Electrified section between Karjat-Panvel getting passenger traffic, my urge to go to Pune was increasing day by day.

Opportunity soon arrived in the form of a week's off from work and with nothing much to do at home, I devised a plan to go to Pune by 12127 Mumbai Pune Intercity Express (ICE) and return back by 11026 Pune -Bhusaval Express. I whatsapped my plan to a few railfans to find if they were interested. Although all of them wanted to join, none could make it because I had to do the trip on a Tuesday . Only Karthik Gopalan from Chembur could manage to join me. I had already booked tickets so he also booked tickets on IRCTC to find our seats relatively close by. He had booked in ICE from CSTM and got D7 coach and I had booked from TNA to Pune and was allotted D6, seat 47.

I got up early and after finishing the morning chores, rode my bike to Dombivli and by the time I could park my vehicle, 6:13 slow to CSTM had departed. I had the options of taking the 6.21 CSTM Fast from Pf5 or 6.17 CSTM Slow from Pf3. Knowing that early morning fast locals rarely maintain schedules due to a barrage of Mail/Express trains to Mumbai, I decided to take the slow train. With just 22 minutes to cover from Dombivli to Thane, I decided to stand by the door of the 3002 MRVC rake. Mumbai Bhusaval Passenger was seen being hauled by WCAM3 at Kopar with 2 parcel vans just behind the loco. Quick to follow it was an Alco hauled Indrayani Express, which crossed us a Diva Jn. Our run was through dense early morning fog, a regular feature near Diva during the winter months. As we were leaving Diva, managed to spot 12620 Mangalore Central-LTT Matysagandha Express slowly getting onto UP Mainline with a good looking WDG4 12606 of GOC stable in SHF mode. The LED signals were really beaming through the fog and making the lives of LPs and Motormans easier I guess.

Mumbra and Kalva were uneventful and a small wish which had cloggered the mind in these few minutes was to get a parallel run with an UP Fast train near Thane.I was blessed with something even better. After Kalva, I got to experience a parallel run between a DC EMU on Trans-Harbour line along with the mighty GOC WDG4 once again. DC EMU won the race hands down in the end. It ended up on Transharbour platforms of TNA. 12620 was admitted on PF8 and my slow local on PF4. PF6 had Devgiri Express waiting to depart.I crossed the FOB and waited patiently on PF5 for my ICE to arrive.Soon the CSTM Fast arrived behind Devgiri Express and it was running late by a few minutes, so the idea to ditch it a Dombivli turned out to be a good one. The new CR suburban timetable has seen the introduction of 15 car rake on fast track. The first 15 car service to KYN from CSTM has an arrival time of 6.45 at TNA, but it arrived 4 minutes early and spent the next few minutes resting on PF5.Following it closely was 17617 Mumbai Nanded Tapovan Express which came to a halt on PF5 at 6:48. Next in line to arrive was 6:56 Fast to Karjat and it arrived a minute early. In the meanwhile WCAM2P #21877 brought in Kolhapur-Mumbai Mahalaxmi Express on PF6. 15017 LTT-Gorakhpur had stealthly arrived on PF7 behind a WCAM3 21946 and it left at 7:05.

Departure from PF7 is at a painful 10kmph and its leisurely crossover to Down Fast line ensured the late running 12589 Gitanjali got an Amber as Thane Starter signal and it passed at a sedate speed behind a WCAM3 21953. In the meanwhile, a light loco WCAM3 21889 was waiting on PF7 after 15017's departure. Since the past few days we had been noting that Punjab Mail was reaching Mumbai late and thus put up in Ghatkopar loop or Dadar Pf5 to give priority to the EMUs in the morning rush hour, but today it sped past PF6 of Thane behind WCAM3 #21949. The Trans-Harbour line still continues to have one AC-DC retro rake doing service in the form of 76346-76344. After Punjab mail went past Pf6, to my surprise the light loco was given the starter and it meant my ICE was gonna be delayed further. By now the PAS had announced the coach positions and electronic coach indicators were glowing with the coach numbers for 12127. ICE came to a halt on the station by 7:26 and I could find Karthik at the middle door of D7 with his Mobile LED flasher ON. After getting into the train, I had to wait patiently for 5 minutes before the rush near the vestibule of D7 and D6 could clear and give me a free passage to my seat in D6. Eventhough, my seat would have been on non-trackside, a couple had occupied my seat and I was offered an aisle side seat on the trackside. With no window seat to suffice, I settled for this one. In the meanwhile, I could hear an Alco cross us before Thane creek, it could have been the Latur Express to Mumbai. Inside Parsik Tunnel a WCAM series loco passed us with another unknown express. We suspected it to be Siddheshwar Express. ICE was running late by a few minutes but any hopes of recovery was dashed as we crawled out of the tunnel to come to a halt before Diva junction as the light loco which was expected to crossover to the 5th line at Diva. To make matters worse, WCAM3 with Nagpur Duranto sped past us and only then the light loco was given a go ahead to cross and all this meant we wasted a good 5 minutes on Diva outer. Finally when we were given a go ahead, our LP raced and caught up with the light loco on a parallel run before Kopar and we passed Dombivali with a nice honking at 7:45. My D6 coach was a 1994 make which was recently POHed on 30/06/2012. Landfilling work for new lines on Diva east is progressing well and we spotted a Plasser Machine in Diva sidings. Just before Kopar, 15 car to CSTM crossed us in full speed. We crossed PF4 of Kalyan at a sedate speed of 25kmph. Kalyan freight yard had 2 assignments with a SHF WDG4 and twin WCAG1s with load towards Mumbai. Our run was getting worse as every minute passed. We continue to crawl right uptil Ulhasnagar as we were trailing the Badlapur fast.We crossed Ambarnath at 8:00. A WCAM1 loco hauled express crossed us at Ambarnath. After that we started hitting MPS and crossed Badlapur by 8:06. At Vangani, a Kurla shunter was waiting in the sidings. We slowed down through the short rock cuttings along the railway track for a brief TSR. We crossed Shelu at low speed.

At Neral Junction, we gain started gain speed as we spotted a short Flat bed wagons rake with 2 Kurla shunters to assist it with the consignment of sleepers. We could smell the brake linings as we hard braked near pf1 of Bhivpuri as some track work was going on. WCAM2 hauled Sinhagad with a lot of people clinging on to it passed us just before Karjat as we came to rest on PF1 with 2 sets of bankers awaiting us at 8:48. After the banker attachment ritual, we spotted 27507with container rake in KJT sidings and Deccan Queen coming down the ghats just after Palasdhari. We spotted twin WAG7 bankers coming down light on mid-line.We crossed the beautiful Khandala at 9:12 and reached Lonavla by 9:16.With bankers detacted, our LP decided to let loose the beast in our WCAM3. At Malavli we came across an AC EMU followed by Yeshwantpur-Ahmedabad AC Express behind a WCAM2 at 9:30. We crossed Talegaon at 9:39 and at Begdewadi we crossed another AC EMU.

At 9:46 a hard chugging Alco with Hyderabad -Mumbai went passed us at Akurdi.We crossed Chinchwad at 9:50.We were put on the platform loop at Pimpri to overtake a BTPN rake on the main through line which was headed by SCR Twin Alcos.From Khadki, our pace reduced and we reached Shivajinagar at 10:04. The opposite platform had enough crowd waiting for an EMU. As we were leaving Shivajinagar, spotted a Kazipet Alco hauled Chennai Mumbai Express with its traditional Red livery RMS coach. A slow run over the river Mula Muthu on the Sangam bridge ensured we were made to wait at Pune outer for an EMU to crossover and then we crawled through the 10kmph Pune turnouts to reach the platform 2 by 10:16 with an overall delay of 24 minutes. The ICE did not live up to my expectations today and I hope another journey by the same might be needed to experience its brisk run. Trains do get late sometimes so I dont really feel dejected. There is always a next time.

Our return journey was at 11:45 from Pf3 by the 11026 Pune Bhusaval Express and since we had left early in the morning we needed some refreshments. Karthik suggested that we go outside the station and eat at a restaurant called Sagar. I had an old friend of mine who currently works with Courtyard by Marriot, Pune. As we were approaching Pune, I took a chance and called him.To my surprise, he agreed to meet us within 30 minutes. As we were making our way out of the station, a crowded Daund-Pune passenger made it to Pf4. We crossed the busy road outside and had Medu Vadas and Veg Sandwich at Hotel Sagar before rushing back to Pf 3 which had 11026 awaiting us. I met my friend who had already purchased a Platform ticket. Pune-Nizammudin Duranto was waiting on Pf1 for departure behind a WCAM2 . Deccan Express arrived behind WCAM2 #21866 at 11:24. A pure LHB CR coach 11001 First AC was standing in a siding near Pf1.Pune WDM3Ds 11369 and 11370 were resting in the yard.Our coach was D2 and seat numbers were 1 and 12, both trackside windows. Udyan Express to Bangalore arrived behind a WDP4B #40065 at 11:35

Our Link for the day was WCAM3 #21941.Kathik had gone ahead to take a snap of the loco and returned back with a beaming face. He said the Loco Inspector was riding on and we must get a good run. We departed Pune after bidding farewell to my friend at 11:46, a minute late. We hadnt even cleared the platforms and an ECP was encountered. After 2 minute halt, our train departed and we noticed another AC EMU in sidings along with spare coaches of Pune-SC Shatabdi.The run from Pune outer to Chinchwad was a real blast. The drag we had encountered in ICE was completely forgotten in this run. It was treat to Karthik, a speed lover.At 12:06 we reached Chinchwad and our pairing train crossed us here with a WCAM2. The through lines had 2 Pune WDG4s mued together waiting patiently for our departure. We crossed Koyna Express at 12:15 with LHF WDP4. Till Dehu Road, speeds were in the range of 75-80 kmph.At 12:17 after crossing Dehu Road, we started accelerating above 85kmph and we spotted a few industrial lines curving away from us on the right. Hard braking ensured we crossed Begdewadi at 40kmph. At Ghoravadi, we spotted the same AC EMU which had held up our entry at Pune returning back from its trip. We crossed Vadgaon at 97kmph at 12:28 and touched 100-104 kmph thereafter. In the far horizon over the mountains the Windfarm could be seen and at Kanhe, we crossed LHF WDG4 with freight.At Kamshet, we had the river by our side at 12:34. We crossed Malavli at 12:40.Lonavla sidings had 12145 with BTPN rake. GTL twins with BCNA and 12146 standing light. ACC Cement rake with WAG5 was also seen. We entered pf2 of Lonavla at 12:46 and spotted 4009-4012 AC EMU of pf3. The window grills were vertical and inside the window glass. This meant, one can hardly put your face out to look out. Bad design for a railfan, though without the metallic mesh we are accustomed to in Mumbai Suburban.

An additional TSS or SP seems to be coming up near Khandala. The curveous Khandala was reached at 12:56. Then started our ascend through the Bhor Ghats with the customary brake testing halts. We were put on the bidirectional MID line. We overtook a BCHNL rake with 4 WAG7s, 3 live KYN brakers and 1 NKJ WAG7 just before reaching Palasdhari. The Khopoli-Karjat single electrified line joined us from left at Palasdhari. Since, Plasser was working on Pf2 at Karjat, we were admitted on pf1 at 13:40. We departed the mainline and took the Karjat-Panvel line turnouts at less than 15 kmph. By the time we reached the first tunnel on the route the LP had managed to hit 68kmph and by the time we made our exit from the tunnel, we clocked 85. A very dominating structure called 'Morbe Dam' which supplies potable water to Navi-Mumbai can be seen on right. On the left we came across some water treatment plants. At 13:55 we reached the deserted, Chouk, a station which is now famous for the action sequences of Dabang, as they were shot here. We maintained decent speeds and reached Mohope at 14:08. After spotting the Mumbai Pune Expressway pass under us, we came to a halt at Chikale at 14:15. Soon the CR line to Roha, which has been recently doubled upto Apta could be seen on the left. Another pair of electrified tracks from Jasai container depot joined these twin tracks from far left before the LC gate at Panvel south.

We were admitted on Pf6 at14:25. WAG9 #31025 entered Pf7 with BTPN load. While entering PNVL, we spotted a series of locos, a BL 23460 which was stencilled as BALSAD, a light KYN WAG5HA 23056, a container hauling KYN WAG7 # 27218 towards BSR and a patiently waiting WAG7 #28495. Karthik got down at PNVL and my onward journey continued towards KYN as we left PNVL at 14.34. At Kalamboli, a Barbie Doll was waiting with BCHNL rake.and at Nilaje came across a light 28338. The Lodha's Casa Rio project is in full swing on the edge of the railway tracks. We crossed GMO WAG5 with a container rake before Dativali. The train was doing decent speeds till Dativali curve.The run from Dativali till Kalyan was slow, though we didnt stop. We were admitted on KYN pf4 at 15:22, late by just 7 minutes. Soon Sinhagad with a WCAM2 21870 arrived as my 11026 made its way out. I went to pf7 and took a fast local to Dombivli. Thus ending a fruitful , half day trip to Pune and back via 2 different routes. I was pleased by the run of Pune-BSL express as it maintained its schedule with many stops. The train runs fairly empty as the mid-day timings arent really suitable for many. But it serves the purpose of a decent connectivity till PNVL or KYN from Pune. There was enough crowd waiting to get in from KYN to Bhusaval. So I am sure eventhough, it might not get end to end passengers, but serves many in this unconventional route.

At the end, I would like to thank all for the patient reading. Since I am not well versed with the route, there are bound to me some mistakes in the trip report. Do bring it to my notice and as always, brickbats, criticism and appreciation, all welcome.

A successful attempt to traverse all the local train stations of Mumbai in a Day.

We have often come across railfanning trips undertaken by fellow railfans across the vast and diverse expanse of India. I myself have been part of a few such exhilarating trips. Being in Mumbai, the suburban travel has been an integral part of our lives. Off late with the advent of modern ways of communicating like Whatsapp, where information sharing across people who share a common passion has become cheap and easy. A few railfans in Mumbai have made a common closed group on Whatsapp where we discuss our sightings and make our silly queries and have them answered. If a discussion generates enough interest or has valuable information that can be shared on IRFCA Forum we encourage the member to post it, thus serving the dual purpose of real time query resolution along with posting of only relevant information on IRFCA thus adhering to the well maintained policy of self moderation.

In one of such discussions we thought that we should attempt to cover the complete Mumbai Suburban Section (wherever a local train goes) in a day's time as all of us have been through all the sections of the Mumbai Suburban section in parts but never covered it completely in a single day. Shantanu Kulkarni (KYN member) proposed 2 plans and finally we decided on a plan and the D-day decided was 17th November 2012. The plans were made by keeping in mind that most of the railfans planning to join the trip were based in eastern suburbs so the starting point was set as Dombivli. After the initial hype died down only Shantanu Kulkarni, Shardul Sabde and yours truly could make it for the final trip. We decided to take a 1st class 1 day Tourist ticket costing Rs.220 for our trip and accordingly purchased the same one day in advance. As per the plan we had to take the early morning DMU to Virar to cover Western Railway first. Since DMU tickets couldn't be purchased one day prior, we decided to buy it in the morning.

Shardul started from his house early in the morning from Ambernath (ABH) at 04:48 to reach Dombivli(DI) by 05:13. Shantanu started from Kalyan (KYN) and reached Dombivli east booking counter to buy tickets for DMU priced Rs.14 for a journey till Virar. He had to wait a good 15 minutes to reach the booking clerk; such was the crowd early on in the morning. By the time he could fetch the tickets for all three of us, I joined him and we walked leisurely to Platform no 5 awaiting DMU. The crowd had swelled by 5:30 and we were thinking if we would be able to get window seats. Railway employees special and other slow trains were making their way past us on the UP and Down Slow lines.

At 5:15 as I was approaching the station, WCAM2 hauled Indore-Pune Express was making a dash to Kalyan on 5th line. At 5:22, WCAM3 # 21882 was seen hauling Amravati Express to CSTM. Close behind it following was KYN WCAM2 #21874 with Mysore-Dadar (DR) Sharavati Express and KYN WCAM2 #21880 hauled Chennai Express. All this action meant our DMU was delayed. Finally at 5:45, it came to a stop on Pf5 and we managed to get into the 3rd coach from the Driving cab and found seats for 2 of us. Shardul decided to stand for sometime as we planned to exchange seats every few minutes. Our loco was KYN WDM2 #17735.

With a sweet horn and chug, we started our journey to slowly crossover to the 6th line and then enter the Kopar loop which has been my alma mater since I started serious railfanning. With the advent of winter, sun rise was still a few minutes away on the horizon. We had a foggy atmosphere around the Kopar Loop and made it to Kopar Upper level in a few minutes. The run to Bhiwandi Road (BIRD) over the Ulhas river bridge was with utter disdain. We clocked 90 kmph during the run. Twin TKD WAM4s were waiting with freight at BIRD in one of the platform lines. WAG7 crossed us between Kharbav and Kaman Road with container rake at good speed. Yet another Twin TKD WAM4s were spotted with freight between Juchandra and Kaman Road. We reached Vasai Road (BSR) by 6:40. The original plan was to continue in DMU up to Virar but we were anticipating return crowds at Virar in EMUs hence, we decided to alight at BSR and take an EMU in return direction and hope that it turns out to be a Churchgate (CCG) Fast local. By the time we reached Pf2 the 6:44 Virar (VR) had left. We waited for 6:48 VR and made ourselves comfortable in the First Class (FC).

At Nallasopara, Gujarat Express sped past us which we caught up with, again at VR.MEMU to Panvel was seen at Nallasopara. The VR train was scheduled as 07:11 Fast local to Churchgate (CCG). The EMU FC was full even though not to the dreaded standards of normal Virar locals being a Saturday just after Diwali. The Virar car shed has the modern look to it. Everything seems to be in place and well distributed and planned in there. A WAP4 hauled unknown express overtook us before BSR. In the south siding lines of Bhayander, we spotted a lot of old DC rakes waiting for retro fitment/scrapping.

WCAM2 with Saurashtra Mail had a sedate and parallel run with us after Dahisar. We had never experienced a Pure AC retro rake of WR and were on the look out to jump into one. Between Borivali and Kandivli we spotted 2 of them and luckily one was in a parallel run with us on the slow track. We decided to ditch our CCG fast at Bandra (BA) and hop into this AC Retro offering from WR. At 8:00 we spotted Firozpur Mumbai Janata express at Goregaon hauled by BRC WAP4 crossing us. The full covering roof design for Jogeshwari Harbour line platforms is taking shape and looks quite different from the otherwise plain vanilla design we have been accustomed to on other stations in Mumbai. We got down at Bandra and a WAP5 sped past us at 8:25 with 12952 Mumbai Rajdhani.

A CCG bound ladies special went past us and then our maiden journey in WR AC Retro (Cab 3009) from BA to CCG started. We spotted the Mumbai Veraval Rake with an inspection car at PF6 at Dadar (WR). A BRC WAP4 hauled 19215 Saurashtra Express to Porbander was waiting on PF 3 at Dadar with FC and RMS coaches. The run from Bandra to CCG was normal and we were quite happy at the speed it covered all stations. The look out into Mahalaxmi Workshop for any new or retrofitted rakes did not yield any results. The buildings on both sides of the WR lines get taller as we move from Virar to downtown Mumbai. We come across heavy construction in the Lower Parel area and some of the tallest buildings in India. Towards the end, we are running parallel to the Marine Drive, Wankhede stadium and the Gymkhanas. Saifee hospital looks a class apart in the skyline. We couldn’t help but wonder the challenges WR will face in planning the Part elevated-Part Ground and Part Underground corridor.

We reached CCG by 8:57 and went to the concourse leading to the subway to relieve our bladders. A quick bite of Vadapav at the nearby outlet and we were back to PF3 to take a Borivali (BVI) bound Fast departing at 8:57, though it departed at 9:07. Between Mahim and Bandra we spotted a WCAM1 hauled 59024 Valsad Passenger crossing us with a few Double Decker coaches. We reached Bandra by 9:26 and waited for our onward journey to CST Mumbai by a CR ACDC Retro (3025 Cab) scheduled for departure at 9:48 from Bandra Harbour line platforms. We had completed our WR part of the journey and Harbour line of CR was next on the agenda. We were given a fitting farewell by a WAP5 hauling 12954 August Kranti Rajdhani as it gave us a short parallel run between Bandra and Mahim before overtaking us. The amount of EMUs running on WR in the peak hours almost looked like bumper to bumper traffic on roads. There were simply too many of them running to keep count of. Hats off to the section controllers!

Our Harbour line journey had begun and soon the ACDC neutral zone was negotiated before King Circle as we climbed up the Flyover. Vadala Road (VDLR) entry was exciting as we were coming down the flyover; a rousing welcome was accorded by a parallel entry into PF3 and PF4 with a DC EMU from Vashi side. The DC rake went ahead. We waited for a few minutes and then started our journey to CSTM through the innumerable changes in gradient. The Port Trust land, Monorail construction, Eastern freeway, Cargo handling docks and many defunct godowns painted a mixed picture of our city. The view of the Mazgaon Reconditioning Depot from the flyover between Dockyard Road and Sandhurst Road Upper is breathtaking. Coming down the Sandhurst Road gradient to meet the Mainline CR, our retro rake was given company by a slow DC UP local along with a Fast DC UP local till Mumbai CST. We had enough slack built into our trip to ensure we don’t miss any connecting trains. We had reached CST by 10:20 and next up on the task list was the longest journey of the Harbour Line till Panvel (PNVL).

We stood at the CST Mumbai’s Suburban concourse admired the various LED panels displaying advertisements and a new cylindrical display. This same CST concourse has been witness to the first Flash Mob in a railway station in India. It was also the same concourse which witnessed the 26/11 Terror Attacks. This place is full of life, a good 5 years of my life has been spent commuting to Taj President, Mumbai from my home in Dombivli and I was reliving those moments. Every visit to CST brings out nostalgia of the days gone past.

We took the 10:41 PNVL local which was the original 9-car rake (1190 C) sent from ICF. As we departed from CST, an SCR loco with Hyderabad Mumbai was waiting in the Express platforms. A Malkapur OHE van was spotted near the Trip Shed. Nagpur Duranto with its livery in shambles on far off new platforms could be seen along with innumerable WCAM3 and WCAM2s. Entry to Masjid station was again full of entertainment with parallel action with a DC slow and a MRVC Fast local on all three tracks. The journey till PNVL is as good as the irony the city itself is. We started off on the first electrified lines between CST and Kurla(CLA). Some stations enroute look as if they are still stuck in that era. The surrounding areas of Cotton Green and Reayroad are almost defunct of activity. Large acres of land lying unused. As we separate out from VDLR onto the PNVL line, the impoverish nature of the city is all in the open with slums on both sides of the track till Chunabatti. At CLA we meet the Mainline CR for a brief period. We were halted after the Chunabatti LC gate, maybe a freighter was crossing over. Again between Kurla and Mankhurd stations we see heaps of garbage strewn all along the railway lines. Old Mankhurd station looks desolate and I am told the Mankhurd terminating locals use those platforms. After Mankhurd the crowd in our local had reduced to a good extent and we decided to stand by the door and enjoy the wind in our hair as we crossed the Mankhurd-Vashi Creek Bridge. The scenery changes drastically after the Creek and we see a New Mumbai rising along the coastline. From here on we see huge construction activities of residential and commercial nature. The stations beyond Vashi are mostly double discharge and capable of handling 12 cars. We were amazed at the number of services being run on ACDC Retro Rakes. Soon the MRVC locals will be transferred to Mainline CR (to bring KYN and DI services under AC) as more of the ACDC Retros are finding their way on the harbor line.

The Seawoods –Darave station complex work is underway and beyond Kharghar as we move away from the Thane-Panvel highway, we encounter marshy lands and our EMU took a good 90 degrees turn to reach Khandeshwar. As we approached PNVL, the Diva –Panvel Double AC Electrified line sneaked close to us on the left. We spotted a TKD WAG9 31209 waiting in one of the siding lines north of Panvel as we entered the newly built Suburban Concourse at 12.12. Across the boundary wall we could see a WR rake of Hapa-Tirunelveli Express waiting on Pf7.It was before time and cooling off for a long journey ahead.

Next on the agenda was PNVL-TNA journey, thus completing the Harbour as well as Trans-Harbour Line journey within stipulated time. This time we got a 9 car DC rake to Thane (TNA) with a scheduled departure of 12:13, though it left with a delay of 7 minutes. We traversed the same route back and crossed over to the Trans-harbour lines before Nerul (NEU) at 15kmph. The Seawoods-Uran line work still looks stagnant with no visible activity. The NEU-TNA section also has some interesting station designs. All unique in their own stature. This line runs parallel to the Thane-Belapur road and occasionally we find some spirited road travelers giving a chase to our Emu. But in all instances EMU held its Numero Uno status. I had done my engineering at Airoli and in those days it was a single line with a Millennium Parcel express being the sole traffic once a week. A lot has changed in the past 10 years. The back breaking State-Transport bus rides have given away to a mere 7-9 minute rides in EMU to Airoli. The road has also become a 4 lane Concrete highway. There are talks of a station named “Digha” coming up between Thane and Airoli, but nothing substantial can be seen on the ground. We negotiated the Horse –Shoe shaped bent to cross the Thane-Belapur Road twice in a matter of 5 minutes and then over the Thane Creek to arrive on Pf9 at Thane. This brought an end to our Trans-harbour and harbour line journey by 13:15.

Kamayani express was departing from PF7 with KYN WCAM3 # 21939 at its helm. Our original plan did not feature the Thane-Diva slow line, traversing Kalva and Mumbra. We thought our trip would be incomplete if we took the fast lines and did not see these stations go past, so we tweaked our journey schedule to include a slow train journey, just to cover this stretch. We came down the brand new Wide FOB of TNA on PF2 and decided to wait for 13:17 slow to KYN. We failed to realize that there was a 13:14 Semi fast local to Kasara (KSRA) waiting on PF5 and could have helped us save 3 minutes. We got a 12 car Dc rake as the KSRA semi fast crossed over to the slow lines before us and the Down fast line was used by a freighter from PF 7 hauled by WCAG1 #21978. A lone Asansol loco was waiting between Diva and Kopar. We reached Dombivli by 13:45, the same place where we started the journey from in the morning. By now, we were hungry and Dombivli was chosen as the exit from Pf1 leads us straight onto “Dwaraka Restaurant” which is quite popular amongst Dombivlikars. We had to save time as Mainline CR journey was yet to be accomplished.

We ordered for Meduvada, Idli Sambar, Uttapam and some Tea for rejuvenation as the Order taker said that anything else would take more time and we couldn’t waste precious time. After a high speed lunch we returned back to the railway premises to board the 14:16 CST bound 15 car fast from KYN. We saw some action at DI as the previous 13:55 fast to CST from Badlapur was delayed, it was followed by a WCAM3 hauled Howrah Mumbai. On the Down line, we spotted WCAM3 hauling Jabalpur Garib Rath Express. At 14:30 we spotted Aurangabad Janshatabdi at TNA being hauled by KYN WDM3D #11390. On our way to CST we spotted WDP4 #20059 hauling CBE-LTT express on 6th line waiting to enter LTT at Ghatkopar. At 15:05 we spotted WCAM3 leaving CST with Sewagram express. Konark express was waiting on Pf13 with a diesel link. We were slowly negotiating our entry to PF7 at 15 kmph and spotted Nandigram on Pf8 and Cape Kanyakumari Express on Pf9. We were back to CST having covered some portion of CR.

Now 2 epic EMU journeys awaiting us were trips to Khopoli and Kasara. We couldn’t help but traverse the journey back to Dombivli (the 3rd time in the day as nothing else could fit the train linkages). After a short break of 15 minutes, we were back on PF6 to get into 15:25 Khopoli fast which was a 12 car MRVC rake. Pf5 had a DC rake which was announced as cancelled, which was quite unusual for this time of the day. Shantanu brought to our notice that today’s Ratnagiri-Dadar passenger was short terminated at Diva and probably this DC rake would run as a Dadar-Diva Special local for the commuters bound Dadar-Ratnagiri which would now run as Diva-Ratnagiri Passenger. The DC rake was given a go-ahead and we followed it. As we entered Dadar PF4, we spotted the DC rake berthed on PF5 and designated to run up to Dombivli to help the cause of the stranded passengers at Dadar and Thane. I was extremely sleepy and couldn’t control and dozed off for a few minutes between Dadar and Mulund. At 16:10 as we were leaving Thane, WCAM3 hauled Godan Express was making a quite entry into Pf8. As we passed the Parsik tunnel approached Diva on Down fast track, 16522R was spotted as the power of the incoming Ratnagiri Passenger stabled on Pf6. We also spotted 2 light locos Pune WDM3A-18688R and KYN WDM-3D #11391 at Diva outer. 16346 Netravati Expresses from TVC stealthily passed behind the Ratnagiri Passenger to join the Mainline at 16:20.

We were admitted on Pf5 at KYN after 2 unscheduled halts between DI and KYN. The 15 car rake which had ran ahead of us was waiting for departure to Dadar from PF6. Our run from KYN to ABH was very slow. We crawled through the DC-AC Neutral Zone beyond KYN on South-East line at extremely reduce speeds. Shantanu explained us that controls in MRVC rakes have been designed in such a fashion that it will never stall in NZ even though we might almost feel that we would stall any moment considering the loss in momentum. We spotted a Barbie Doll livery loco hauling steel freight. The news of ShivSena Chief, Bal Thackeray’s demise had trickled to us via SMS. Parents & friends were all urging us to abandon the trip midway and return back home ASAP. They said that auto-rickshaws and taxis had stopped plying and shops had already downed their shutters. Shardul had noted that stalls on the stations were also non –operational at KYN. We were getting a feeling of “so close, yet so far” as the only legs pending were Khopoli and Kasara. We decided that we will proceed to Khopoli and return back to Kalyan by the same EMU as scheduled but will take a final call to go to Kasara after checking the ground realities at KYN late in the evening. The run from Ambernath to Karjat (KJT) was amazing with frequent clocking of 100kmph between stations. Only one set of Triplet bankers were awaiting in the sidings at KJT for 16381 Cape Kanyakumari Express. As we made our journey on the single electrified one train section of CR between KJT and Khopoli, we saw Deccan express coming down the Ghats. The 8 minute delay we had picked up on the way stayed with us still Khopoli. The stations were minimalistic and the run was not exceeding 60kmph. Some stabling line OHE work can be seen at Khopoli but it will take years before we see them active.

Return journey to KYN from Khopoli had to be on time as we were running the risk of losing our connecting Kasara fast from Kalyan had our EMU become late by more than 10 minutes. Also the fear of backlash in Mumbai sighting the demise was looming large on our plans. We decided to hope for the best. Shantanu suggested that we board the middle FC so that crossing the FOB at KYN would be easy if we fall short of time. We started on time but lost 4 minutes at KJT for Pragati Express hauled by WCAM2 to crossover from PNVL-KJT line. At Bhivpuri road, Deccan Queen crossed us in full glory. We reached Neral Jn at 18:45 against the scheduled arrival of 18:39. Our prospects of catching the KSRA local were diminishing and the pressure from family to abandon the trip was increasing as they were in the eye of the storm.

We reached KYN at 19:23 against the scheduled time of 19:17 on PF6. Shardul announced that Panchvati Express was snaking its way out of PF4 and KJT local had already been received on PF5. We climbed the Middle FOB in anticipating of catching the 19:27 KSRA from PF4. The FOB was choc-a-bloc with commuters waiting for next scheduled train on PF4. As soon as the indicators announced the next train, the entire crowd started marching down the stairs to catch our train. At 19:32 KSRA EMU a BHEL rake as wished by Shardul made its entry and we made a desperate attempt to get in and secure our last leg of the journey. Thankfully all of us were accommodated by the mighty BHEL rake and we started at 19:37. After Shahad and Titvala, there was enough space for us to relax near the window of our choice. We had tried scouting for food on stations enroute but to no avail. We had carried some snacks in our backpacks and that came to our rescue. The temperature was dropping as we were going up the gradient. We encountered a long TSR of almost a KM enroute and with darkness outside, we couldn’t see much. We did stand by the door for some time to enjoy the innumerable curves in this section. We did come across a few UP trains to CST hauled by WCAM3s. The two halt stations Thansit and Umarmalli were provided brief halts. The destination Kasara was finally transcended with a delay of 14 minutes. Our EMU came to a halt on the lone EMU platform with a scheduled layover of 40 minutes before commencing on our return journey by the same EMU. Even though the return journey was pending, technically we had travelled through all the stations of Mumbai. (Wherever the local train goes as on date)

We crossed to the M/E platforms to scot for tea, but were left disappointed. With a few minutes to evade at Kasara, we went to see the banker attachment for the Rajyarani Express which still lacks commuter confidence. It was sparsely populated. Soon we retuned back to our BHEL rake and this time decided to board the 2nd class Motor coach to hear the roaring of the motors. We left at 21.22 and Vidharbha express made a roaring entry to Kasara followed by amazing braking to come to a halt. We saw the mangled remains of the driving cab coach still lying close to the tracks near Umarmalli. We had some high speed crossings. Between Khardi and Atgaon, we crossed Punjab Mail. At Atgaon, Nagpur Duranto went past us. Amravati express went past us at Asangaon and Jyanjeshwari at Vasind. Howrah mail went past us at Titvala.

At KYN, Shantanu and Shardul got down and I continued by way back home to DI. I got down at DI at 22:45 and luckily got a Call Center cab that was ready to take the risk of transporting stranded commuters at the station. Within 15 minutes, I was home and after ensuring that everyone had reached home safely, we called it a Day.

We don’t know if anyone has ever attempted this kind of a journey covering all the local stations in a day before but I must admit it was a great journey of a different kind. I am sure others can attempt this journey but the starting point and EMU connections are very important to know if an attempt has to be made.

I would like to thank you all for a patient reading. Do bring to notice if you come across any mistakes. Like always, brickbats, criticism and appreciation, all welcome.

A railfan's maiden flight

For an eternal railfan to take a flight to a domestic destination means cheating your core hobby.Given a chance, I would have taken the train to Kerala, with wide options like the slow 16345 Netravathi Express, the crawler 11081 Kanyakumari Express, Mumbai-Trivandrum Weekly,the poor man's chariot, 12201 Kochuveli Garib Rath, an awkwardly timed Trivandrum Rajdhani, a crack superfast with limited stop like the Sampark-Kranti Express or Mamata Didi's obsession the LTT-Ernakulam Duranto.


Since it was a new job, getting Privilege Leave was out of question and it had been long since I had been to Kerala in hot summer. My preferred months are Dec and Jan. This time around, we had a family function and my parents were already booked for both to and fro journey on Garib Rath.Last minute tweaking of my leaves ensured, I had an opportunity for a whirlwind tour of Kerala by flight and return by Garib Rath with my parents. So there was yours truly preparing for my maiden flight journey between Mumbai and Kochi.


I had booked my tickets online by Spicejet SG131 to Kochi departing Mumbai at 8:35am & reaching Kochi at 10:40am.Tickets came really cheap at Rs 3600/-. I had done web-checkin to ensure I get a window seat. 8A, it was for me and hoped to avoid the wing in front of my window.Since my luggage was already taken by my parents, I simply had to walk into the airport. With security checks and other formalities on mind, I decided to be early than be on time for my maiden journey.

Accordingly got up at 4am, finished the morning chores and left home at 5am. As soon as I came out of my Complex, an Indica driver stopped by me and asked,,''Station''. I smiled and got in the front seat by the driver.That was a good start for the day. We reached Dombivli station by 5:10am and I took a slow train coming from Kalyan, it was a DC EMU departing at 5:08 am.First Class was empty and I set an alarm for 5:45am to ensure I don't miss my station. But I couldnt sleep with LHB SG coaches of Gorakpur-LTT Express keeping me company on the UP Fast line hauled by the customary WCAM3. I also spotted Indrayani Express with WCAM2. Finally got down at Vidyavihar at 5:55am. The only bus available in the depot was Route 322 to Mahant Nagar, Vileparle. It was the one I wanted to board.Another window seat and the bus driver started the bus at sharp 6am. It seemed he had a heavy doze of NFS Games last night and all I could hear was pumping of gas and hard braking. We vroomed to the Domestic Terminal building 1B by 6:30am.


Last I had been to the domestic airport was almost 7 years ago before the modernisation work was undertaken. First impressions were great. I entered through the Terminal 1B's Gate 1. After the check for ID and E-ticket, I went straight to the web checkin counter of Spicejet and collected my Boarding Pass.The process looked extremely streamlined with luggage being tagged and sent over the conveyor belt. I sat back on the ergonomically designed chairs for a few minutes to soak in the views and admire the transformation it had been through.

I strolled on the Concourse for sometime to see the various Food outlets and then decided to go in through the Security Check. Since I was without any luggage, I passed through the metal detector and my cell phones and keys through the X-ray machine in a matter of seconds. It was 7:20am & my flight was at 8:35. SG131 is a connecting flight between New Delhi-Mumbai-Kochi with an arrival of 7:40am at Mumbai. I was hoping that it would have reached on time. In the concourse for boarding passengers, I saw an ad of Free Wi-Fi in the Airport. I decided to put it to test. As I turned on the wifi on my phone, I was redirected to a login page to put my credentials like my phone number after which the webpage asked me to send an SMS to a mobile number and wait for a unique code. I got the code in few seconds and was on the Wi-Fi highway in a matter of few seconds. Wifi was provided by YOU Broadband and was offering a good speed. I made it a point to access the airport website to check the arrival of my flight from Delhi. I wasnt disappointed as it was on time and had landed. Since I had time on my hands, decided to use the Kiosk of CSIA,the gents washroom and then loiter around seeing PYTs.
At 7:45am announcement for boarding for SG 131 was made from Gate 6. All the junta on the concourse sprung into action. I wanted to catch the glimpses of the inside of our airport so decided to get in line after the initial anxious crowd got in. After getting my Boarding Pass stamped by the Security Girl, walked into a Tata CNG low floor bus in the typical maroon color associated with Spicejet. The bus was airconditioned and to get an unhindered view I decided to take the last window seat as most other seats were laterally placed with little or no opportunity to view the world outside.Our bus left at 8:10am towards the Spicejet aircraft which was no where to be seen. There were many Air India Express, Jet Airways, Indigo aircrafts, with their respective ground staff working. In 5 minutes I could see my SG131 waiting to get me on board. I was praying that my window seat was as seen on website with a clear view and did not have the aircraft wing obstructing my view. Airfield was such a vast expanse of land in the middle of Mumbai that had our builders and encroachers had their way, it would have been taken over in a day. Jokes apart, the area was really well maintained and I am sure if the same discipline is maintained all over our city, it would be more civilized to stay put in the Maximum City. But as Kareena Kapoor says in 'Jab We Met', 'humse hi to bheed banti hai'.....

I boarded my maiden flight from the front entrance near the crew cabin and there were two beauties welcoming us on board..hehe...I took my seat 8A with a young couple seated on 8B and 8C.Luckily my window had an unobstructed view and it seems like the plane was filled to the brim with all the seats taken. The aircraft had all sorts of people inside. Behind me were seated a set of mallu bachelors returning from Gulf and were speaking in pure Trichur mallu slang. In front of me were seated 3 foreigners with an infant. I seemed that the couple had their mother for company for a leisure trip of Kerala. There were infact many infants inside, which I could recognise from the mere orchestra of their cries emanating from every corner of the craft with each putting up a show to match the other. It was 8:25am and the customary announcement by the Cabin Crew about the flying squad members accompanying us to the destination. The boarding stairs were disconnected and the aircrafts doors were sealed. Accompanied by the announcement in Marathi, Hindi, English and Malayalam were the instructions for safety in Hindi and English by a beautiful airhostess. She walked around with poise and checked each passenger for having the safety belt/harness in place. At 8:35, we started moving towards the International Airport at a sedate speed. The aircraft was a Boeing 437 and had a seating capacity of 327. Spicejet is managed by the company which owns the Southern India's biggest media conglomerate, 'Sun Network'. In 5 minutes we were on the taxiway to get on the Main Runway. I could see a poor Kingfisher aircraft languishing in a corner alongwith hordes of other International Airlines. We were third on the list for departure with 2 arrivals expected on the Main Runway. While waiting on the taxiway , I could see the incoming flights and the slums bordering the airport. The new International Terminal is taking shape faster and I am sure that by March 1st, 2013, we would have a new terminal building in place. Finally at 8:50 we made a 90 degree turn to enter the runway and then started our run to touch the sky. I simply loved the vroom of our twin jet engines and the speed it attained in a matter of seconds.The scenary in my window seemed to move faster than I could capture in my mind and finally the friction between my aircraft's tyre and the runway vanished and we were airborne.The excitement cant be explained, but only experienced. While making web checkin, I had ensured to book the left side window, because the landscape would be visible down beneath only on the left side as we would be solely flying over the sea and land would be on our left side. All these minute pre-work ensured that I could see the Bandra-Worli Sealink,the Worli seaface, Marine drive, Colaba and Alibag all go past below at amazing speeds.My interest in geography helped me in identifying the Murud-Janjira fort and the Konkan coastline. The landscape below was soon disappearing underneath the sheath of the white clouds as we were gaining altitude. The rivers and rivulets were shining in the morning sunshine and the beach sand looked golden from top. The first 10 minutes of the flight is such an experience when you can see the clouds below you and feel like a bird flying high up in the air.

Inflight magazine, Spiceroute had some nice writeups keeping me engrossed. One thing that comes to mind is that the speed experienced while gaining altitude is no where to be seen after you end up above the clouds. The earth below and your aircraft seem to move at a very slow speed but that because the lateral distance between us is so much that we hardly recognise the speed at which we are moving. I tried hard to figure out the topography below but it was increasingly becoming difficult. I tried to bury myself in the magazine. The airhostess' started distributing the onboard breakfast. I hadnt ordered for any as I had left home with a heavy breakfast and a jumbo meal was awaiting me at Kerala. It was 10:25am & our flight attendant announced that we were approaching Kochi and asked all of us to be seated with our belts on.

Looking down I could see that the topography had changed dramatically, we were passing over the Niligiri Hills and then over the vast expanses of green dotted with red tilled roofs of houses. The foreigners infront of me were all excited to see the greenery and I guess we were instructed to take a round about before landing. That round-about at a comparatively low height was different perspective of looking at Kerala from the heaven.

On a different note,in economy class seats are cramped up and I would anyday take a train like Rajdhani or Shatabdi if i have time on hands for the sheer pleasure of watching the scenary go past you as well as the fact that it feels so comfortable in those trains, all with meals included.Finally our descend started and we landed on the first greenfield airport of India, the Nedumbassery International Airport, also one of the first kind in India for being built by PPP.After a perfect landing, we veered off the runway to the taxiway at good speed to come to a halt on the tarmac. The alighting stairs were attached and off I came back from my maiden flight experience. On the tarmac was Saudia Airlines and Air India Express.The Kochi airport is built in typical Kerala styled architechure. As I walked into the terminal building, and out into the muggy and humid Kerala weather, I saw many chauffers waiting with placcards for Vivanta by Taj, Le Royal Meridian and other star hotels. I didnt take a prepaid cab, but ventured out to take a diesel auto from the stables of Piaggio to the nearest bus stand which was 8 kms away at Angamaly. The station complex is actually away from Kochi city and was built recently as the old airport built on Wellington island is now used solely by airforce.

My auto travel lasted for 20 minutes and I payed Rs. 100 for those 8kms. I wanted to catch a bus to 'Irinjalakuda' which is in Trichur District. The buses from Angamaly were to places down south as well as to north or central kerala like district headquarters.Since no direct buses to Irinjalakuda were available, I took a KSRTC bus to Trichur which had 3x2 seating. Decided to get down at Chalakudy which was a 12km journey and paid Rs 12. We took the NH47 which was a rubberised 6 lane road. Roads are all rubberised and are smoother than concrete ones in Mumbai. At Angamaly and at the airport, I saw the low floor buses bought under the JNNURM by Kochi Corporation and an old double decker bus still in operation. I got down at Chalakudy at 11:30am and took another bus to Irinjalakuda again a distance of 14kms and paid Rs.12. From Irinjalakuda, I took an auto to reach my ancestral home in 5 minutes by 12:10pm. Later during the day I rode my uncle's Bajaj Discover 125cc and a short 5 minute boat ride to complete all modes of transport in a day.

Not So Happy Holi Time Stories

It’s been long since I have played Holi. But there have been two back to back instances in my life where Holika hasn’t been great to me. The first story goes back to the time when I was in 5th grade. Holi as usual was in Mid-march. Those days’ Final semester exams used to start in the first week of April and all schools closed by April 14.As an 11 yr old, I was a short kid and had a lot of building friends. We had decided to spend the whole day with a lot of fun and fervour.

Those days there were no plastic bags or thiylis, there were only balloons which could be procured from shops, filled with coloured water and thrown at people not expecting it. The meticulous planner that I was, I had informed all my friends to get out of the house sharp at 7:30am with all the pichkaris, colours and balloons.I had standing instructions at home to not dirty the house but was allowed to take buckets of water and go out and play. Dad had got a hose to provide water supply from the tap directly to the door to ensure that his ward didn’t have to venture inside the house to fetch water. After Holika was ignited, the previous night, I came back late but filled up all the balloons to ensure minimum wastage of time on the next morning. I slept at 1am keeping an alarm for 6:30am.

At 6:30 sharp I got up and slowly moved all the equipment, pichkari, balloons, buckets full of water, colour packets and connected the hose to the tap and laid it inside the house right up to the entrance without disturbing my parents. Finally by 7:00 I was ready to ''lallkar'' my friends. Slowly unlocked the door and that’s when mom said, ''hey don’t wear this shirt, change to an older one so that we can throw it after Holi''. The argument seemed justifiable but a waste of precious time; still I decided to change, not to make my mom angry in the morning. After removing the shirt and the vest, I looked around for an old rugged shirt. I was searching the cupboard for an old shirt and mom was standing behind me. She happened to observe a few boils on my back.She inquired about its nature and when it appeared, I had no clue. Then she asked me to turn around and found a few more boils on my torso. Her worst fears had come true. A few more observations on the arms and face revealed that it was ’’chickenpox ''.

Now there was no chance that she was going to allow me to go out and play. It was announced and all hell broke loose. Door was shut and I ran wild inside crying and shouting in anguish. Dad helped mom get all the equipment back into the bathroom. Mom informed neighbours about my plight and asked them to not let their kids come anywhere close to our house for the next few days as chickenpox is known to spread fast amongst kids.With no respite and a worst possible start to the day, I was told in no uncertain terms that the next few days are going to be painful and no school and more importantly all my pre-work of Holi had gone down the drain. I was left with no option but to burst all the balloons one by one inside the bathroom as a stress busting exercise.


The second instance actually started on a very promising note. Having lost out on my Holi celebrations because of chickenpox in 5th grade, I had decided to play it with vengeance the next year (when I was in 6th grade). This time I bought colours and all things associated with Holi well in advance. As planned last year, this year too the time was set as 07:30. The latest addition was plastic bags or thiylis making it even simpler to fill & throw.

This time my parents were a bit lenient, knowing the agony their kid had faced last year. I was allowed to play for longer durations even though exams were starting in the next week. Accordingly, I got up at 07:00 moved all the equipments to the door and as a custom in Trimurthi Co-operative Society, I went banging on the doors of all my neighbours, one by one saying ,''holi hai bhai holi hai, kya chupke baithe ho, baahar niklo''.

Some timid ones let their moms open the door and get gulaaled by yours truly, rest were daring enough to come out on their own. In the 3 floor building that I lived in, all kids fell in the bracket of 5-13 years and 3rd floor were full of boys with a few exceptions, 2nd floor had our girl friends in majority. 1st floor had some weird people with not much activity; they were the tight lipped ones, not many kids on that floor barring a few. And ground floor was a mix of both.The building had a common verandah on each floor, so playing cricket, gaadi gaadi, train train, ghar ghar, xmas, diwali , killa & holi were all on the building premises. Khojagiri was the only thing held on the terrace. After going off on a tangent to describe the building (it was important to describe the same as story can be well understood after that ) coming back to Holi.

My mom is very jovial character and joined me in playing Holi with our neighbours and by 8am the whole floor was playing Holi. Later on the parents went indoors and only the kids were relishing the fun. People on the road and lower floors were targeted. The 3rd floor gang managed to pull out their friends from 2nd floor. Soon it was hit and run being played with picharis and thiylis being employed as guns and hand grenades.Guys were always at an advantage for being from the top floor. Finally by 11:00 it was more of camaraderie than holi fight. Now each of them were non recognisable and I had got Raymond Colour (a variety known to stay on for long) and was plotting it on everyone.

By 11:30 a few went home as their parents insisted on studying for the upcoming exam, but there was no stopping for me & my friends. I had taken pains to revise my lessons well before time and recited it for mom's satisfaction.The group was pouring buckets full of water on each other and it was flowing down the stairs right down to the ground floor and eventually all the colour residues were getting deposited on 1st & ground floor. We were in no mood to stop so kept hurling water, and thiylis down.

One of my friends had sneaked in and shut the door. We decided to not let that guy go off so easily. We kept playing in the verandah and after a few minutes asked that guy to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, the poor guy who by now had a bath was again drenched in colour and the entrance of his house was spoiled beyond recognition. Then was the turn of my good friend and her sister, Priya and Preeti staying on the 2nd floor. They too had a bath and came out in the verandah spotting clean clothes to have a casual view of the aftermath of Holi celebrations.Catching them off guard was my team. We poured a bucket full of water straight down the balcony, drenching them again, head to toe, and leading to loud shrill all around. Happiness on 3rd floor and Gloom on 2nd floor.

Finally when I decided to stop it was 1pm and it took me 1/2 hr to get the colour off my body with a few shades still lingering on the palms, feet, ears and nails. What I hadn’t anticipated was awaiting me as soon as I came out of the bathroom. I was hungry and desperately looking for a sumptuous lunch instead got a barrage of complaints and scolding almost to the verge of getting beaten up by dad. As I was singing in my bathroom, my nemesis' were plotting my death. Priya, Preeti complained so did the neighbour whose entrance was spoiled, and then came the Building Secretary who stayed on 1st floor to complain about colour residue on their floor. My parents pacified them all but eventually shouted their hearts out on the poor and hungry me.

That day, I had played like there was no tomorrow and also wept later on as I haven’t ever later on in life barring a few exceptions. That day I decided that I will never initiate Holi celebrations in my building. Since then it has been a dull and quiet Holi thereafter. Now when I look back, nostalgia still creeps in.

Happy Holi to All who still enjoy it..!!!

Vibrations of a different kind

Though rush hour journeys in Mumbai local trains are full of adventure , anguish, madness and survival of fittest all embroiled into one, we do come across some instances rather different from the usual push and shove. After I joined Hilton Mumbai, my railfanning by the window seat has taken a beating as unlike Taj President where I used to work in shifts allowing me the luxuy of travelling in non-peak hours(if such a thing exists), here I work either 07:00-16:00 , 09:00-18:00 or 11:00-20:00 on weekdays.

For a 11:00-20:00hrs shift I catch the 9:12 Dombivli-CST local which is fully occupied by return commuters from Diva and Kopar. Since I have to get down at Ghtakopar or Vidyavihar, I dont really look for a seat, I am happy holding on to a standing position in the lateral side by the door ensuring the wall behind gives good support to my back as I go through my mails, FB, and IRFCA forum on my cell phone. Standing by the side ensures that the frequent push and pull of the commuters boarding and alighting at different stations don't really bother you much.

As usual, I was standing 3rd from the door by the wall and checking my mails. By the time our local departed from Platform No.2 of Dombivli, the train was fairly crowded and 1st class resembled like a 2nd class compartment. At Kopar, more people made their way in and then that side was completely blocked till Thane as all the other station platforms come on the other side.

I ain't a tall guy at 5'6” but there was a short guy of approximately 5'1'' standing in front of me waiting to alight at Thane.His hands could barely reach the handles on top and was literally standing there with his hands high up in the air. Behind him was an obese man with a buldging tummy. He was almost bending the short guy with his pot belly. Incidentally the pot-belly was also touching my tummy.(which by the way isnt much flat either).

Next station, Diva arrived and the usual war cries and push by the desperados ensured that the short guy couldnt hold onto his initial position and was moving helplessly towards the door. He couldnt see much as the commuters in front of him were blocking his view. He just let out his anguish by asking out loudly to the public in general,”Arrre kaun sa station hai, Diva hai kya Mumbra?? “. One of the unknown faces replied back,”Arre yeh toh Diva hai, Mumbra mein aur tight ho jayegi situation”.

Everyone around couldnt help but smile back at that person for a tongue in cheek comment, except the obese man who was the cause of the short guy's helplessness. After a few seconds everyone was back to their business but I could feel a vibration on my tummy. Assuming it to be a cell phone on vibration mode, I didnt react.But the vibration didnt cease and it was a very awkward feeling thats when I realised that the obese man was literally laughing within himself on the joke which was cracked. He had tried to hide his laughter then and I guess couldnt control it for too long. The vibrations of his tummy were the indications of him trying to laugh within himself.

The short guy who was also experiencing the vibrations, turned back his head and said,”Uncle hassna hai toh jor se hasso naa..aapke pet se hassoge toh gudgudi hoti hai” That lightened up the atmosphere and everyone around simply laughed their hearts out.

Poor BEST Driver

This commuting story comes from yet another BEST bus journey. You might be thinking, what happened to this eternal railfan? No train journeys blogged anymore.Thats because I havent been getting the elusive window seat as commuting time has changed & travelling duration also reduced. On the other hand bus journeys have increased and they seem to be more time consuming & rigorous, though the distance to be traversed is hardly 5 kms.

Ok, now this was like any other evening commute from my hotel near airport to Vidyavihar station by BEST bus 308. Luckily after getting into the bus, I got a window seat and we had just crossed the Airport and moving towards Leela Hotel & then onwards to the ever traffic infested Andheri-Ghatkopar Link road. The distance between Leela & Airport is hardly 500 metres but our bus took 20 minutes and finally turned into the nightmare called Ghatkopar Link road. Our bus must have started from Majas Depot which is far away from Andheri and the drivers of this route(308) can be easily conferred Nobel peace prize for the patience they display to drive along this irritating stretch.

As soon as we turned into the link road towards Sakinaka, my bus was veering close to the footpath instead of the norm of siding with the middle divider as we had to take a right into the Andheri-Kurla road. The road was infested as usual with the debris of metro construction work, 220kv high voltage line digging, the miniscule and irritating 2 & 3 wheelers. All of a sudden, after crossing d MarolNaka stop, our driver parked the bus & turned off the lights & got out off the seat to alight. Harried people inside the bus were shocked and thought if traffic jams werent enough, we have a breakdown of the bus.

Murmurs became louder and inqusitive ones started asking,''master kay jala, bus zaanaar ki nahi''.Conductor was a mute spectator like many of us. Driver did not answer any queries as if he was above the law. He strolled back towards the footpath testing each tyre making others contemplate that we have a puncture to deal with.

Surprisingly none of us heard the air escape from tyres during the journey. Then the driver moved towards the shops lining the footpaths. He was gesturing something to the shopkeepers and each one just shoved him away to a direction which was behind the way we had traversed. After carefully observing, what our driver was gesturing I knew it was nothing related to the bus and more human in nature.

He disappeared from our sight and people inside the dark bus were shouting, yelling and getting jealous of other buses going past us. After 5 minutes our driver returned, turned on the lights and started the bus and all inside heaved a sigh of relief. The conductor who was maintaining a stoic silence till now, said a one liner which made the whole bus burst into laughter and the bus driver a bit embarrased. He said, ''Didnt I tell you not to drink that extra glass of water, see what happens now, that extra glass of water made all of us wait for 5 minutes''
Poor driver !!!

Pole Dancing at the Bus Stop

Today's story comes from the bus stop in front of my hotel.I had left office @ 18:20 & leisurely walking towards the bus stop when an empty bus rushed towards the stop and cleared the crowd gathered there. I had a very busy day @ office and didnt wanna run behind a stupid bus, so decided to wait & watch. It was 18:25 & I knew there was a bus starting from Sahar Cargo Complex which run also relatively empty, so it was worth the wait. Now the busstop is located where employees of ITC Maratha, Hyatt Regency, Hilton Mumbai, Ascot Centre & Blue Dart converge, so you cant make out where a person is coming from.


As I was waiting in anticipation of the bus, I saw a girl walking towards the stop. To describe her, she was wearing black trousers, a white shirt and an open black blazer.Hair tied at back with little spectacles on her face and about 5'3" . She was wheatish in complexion. So a typical Indian girl in office attire. She came and stood near the pole of the busstop.


Soon, she calls up someone and as conversation progresses, she smiles, giggles , maybe she was talking to her sweet heart. People tend to do such things. Next I see is she is literally dangling around the pole with her arms around the pole with phone in her other hand and still giggling. Then she starts going around the pole in slow motion as if strolling in a park. This continues for 4-5 minutes. By now everyone is watching her, but she seems to be in her wonderland.

The bus arrives & everyone is readying to get into it. I get in and secure the last window seat for the long journey ahead and guess what she is still making circles around the pole and laughing into the phone. Finally when the bus makes the intent of moving, she wakes up from her dream and makes futile attempt of running behind it.
Hehehe....

Grabbing a Senior Citizen Seat

One thing everyone would agree with me is hating to stand in a bus with no movement whatsoever for pretty long time because of the traffic ahead. I am habituated to long snarls of traffic from my office to Ghatkopar station. I have even tried walking from Hilton Mumbai International Airport(My office) to Ghatkopar station in flat 55 minutes with innumerable stoppages because of traffic signals, idiotic people on road who have no road sense after finding that my evening commute to either Ghatkopar, Vidyavihar or Kurla by the famed BEST buses took more than 60 minutes and in the worst case even 100 minutes.

Knowing that my brisk walking skills werent put to test since months now, I decided to give it a try a few days back and the results were exciting with an overall 55 minutes to Ghatkopar. I am sure that I can bring that down to 45 -50 minutes. The only day, I covered this distance in 30 minutes by bus was on 26th January on all other days, its been the same. In mornings, it takes about 35-40 minutes from Vidyavihar station where I get a comfortable seat by the window.

My commutes have a twist of long bus journeys and shorter train journeys.The travel from hotel to Vidyavihar is actually a 20 min ride if done at normal speed in early mornings, but for the rest of the day, it takes nothing short of an hour. If you are standing for that long in a bumper to bumper traffic in a BEST bus, you dont need to exercise to stay fit. All parts of the body are jolted, massaged and heckled in all possible ways. Today my story is not about it though.Today its about securing a senior citizen seat for yourself and not being asked to vacate the same. I got into the bus, bought a ticket and moved ahead to the front seats. Its futile standing towards the right side as half the seats are earmarked for ladies. Chances of getting a seat are nil as there are many women vying for it unless you wanna be embarrased to be asked to vacate it.

Yes, there are a few who like to brush shoulders with them. But thats the last thing on mind when you are struggling for space in a crowded bus. I was standing towards the left side where we have the reserved senior and handicapped seats. Looking at the profile of the people sitting in them, none of them qualified to do so. I thought, I was marked for the day and eventually the whole journey was gonna be standing. But suddenly a person got up at the very next stop. I decided to sit. But I knew this was going to be shortlived as at the next stop, 'Sahar Airport' some oldies might get in and demand seats.

Luckily I saw a 4-5 yr old boy standing behind my seat. I pulled that guy and made way for him to sit on my lap, with my bag on one leg. Bag looks very big, though I am hardly carrying anything. For a person looking at me, it was as if I was holding the child and bag, so nobody would dare ask to vacate. At the next stop, a few oldies in 55-60 age bracket got in and demanded seats of all those sitting in the front row. They empathised and never even bothered to ask me. I tried to show my willingness to get up, but one of them said, “nahi nahi, you are actually holding onto the kid, be seated”. I must mention one thing here, the kid was a gem, he did not utter a word and sat as if I was his uncle, no discomfort and we chatted the whole journey...hehehe

A Typical Mallu

A close friend of mine once asked me how does a typical mallu look and behave like. Being a Mallu being asked to define one of his own species is a tough one to answer without being biased. My answer to her was something like this:

(Please note I dont indent to hurt anyone with the following stanzas, its all in a lighter vein)

A typical mallu girl is proud of belonging from Kerala. She believes its her birthright to become a nurse.They are generally very talkative and big gossip queens.Oiling her hair with coconut oil is a must. But truly results are indeed good with majority of them having long and sustainable dark hair. She is proud to come from kerala where female population is more than male population than any part of India. Anyone who has opportunities to learn further goes ahead and does MSc, MCom,MCA, MBA..etc.

Even though gold is liked by womenfolk at large, this Keralite has a penchant for coating herself in gold. On all occassions she believes in wearing gold, head to toe. On her wedding, she is supposed to bring home gold not in grams but in tolas. When she washes her hair, she believes in leaving it open and also using 2 strands of hair from near her ears to tie a knot encompassing them all. Set saree or set mundu(dhoti) is one piece of clothing she is really proud to wear to any occasion be it wedding, funeral. Dhawani is another clothing she looks really good in, but its fast disappearing. Be it Catholic, Hindu or Muslim, basically all mallu girls are god fearing.

A typical mallu guy has a moustache. Believes, its a sign of masculinity. Who will tell him the hindrance it causes while smooching...lol...He believes a lungi or dhoti is the best piece of clothing invented. He wears EastMan Color lungis at home and offwhite or plain white dhoti even to work. Drinking and smoking is his birthright. Its derogatory to even ask if he indulges in such vices. He forms a union wherever he works in kerala.Knows all the loopholes in the system to evade work and fight for his rights and blalantly ignore his duties, though the same mallu slogs like a dog in Gulf or places except Kerala. He believes in remittance of money to his household and wants the best for his family, a palatial house, car and educating his kids.

Most of them consider shaving as an unnecessary daily chore and would like to chuck it, given an opportunity. Like gossiping and also like calling Kerala, God's Own Country. Likes discussing politics between Communists and Congress, so the Kerala Govt changes every 5 yrs.

Kids in Kerala get up every morning to check if the buses are working, if he/she doesnt find vehicular traffic on the road for 2 minutes, he/she goes back to sleep as its a strike day and there is no school or college. This happens at least twice in a week still Kerala has the maximum literacy rate in India.

Naatak kare toh kauwa kate

Here's one more story from my innumerable journeys to work. Today after I got down at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai(CSTM) and walked to the busstop of BEST 138. A double decker was waiting, but was full of passengers. Since I was early, I decided to leave it and wait for the next one. Before me in the queue was an old mullaji wear the traditional muslim cap. Soon the bus filled to its brim left and the new commuters started to join the queue, majority of whom try to enter from the starting point of the queue as its a long way to enter from the rear end of the queue. At 7:20 am , there are a lot of girls trying to reach G. D. Somani college which is next to Taj President and all of them look from well to do families. But in the same breath, I would like to add that some of them dont believe in civic rules and getting in the queue is not on their priority list.

By now a few girls had joined the queue behind us , but there was this one girl who kept roaming around the start of the queue with the intention of jumping in first when the next bus arrives. She didnt have the manners of falling in line with others. I dont understand why certain people find it derogatory.

Anyways, within seconds, as god sent a crow flew from nowhere , perched on her head and poked her. She was so scared that she let out a loud scream in front of the junta in the queue and scampered for shelter. The mullaji , who was first in the queue just gestured her to go and stand in queue as it has roof on top. All of us in the queue could not help but laugh on her.