lalbagh diary - musings from the track - part 3

1105 finally arakonnam and this is the last leg of the journey ; though another one and half hours to go . An old man is holding on to his dhoti which is tripping him  and he runs with a green sack of baggage on his head. Funny I thought the massive luggage is balancing fine, but his dhoti is not. Another man holding a red tray full of colourful cool drinks was making quick business

1115 my co pax and I finally began bonding as we joined together cribbing abt these men who have changed the coach into a local train . They are standing crowding around us and there's no place for even the pantry guys to come in . Incidentally we spoke abt our lives and chatted about our jobs and our monthly trips between the two cities - we did have something in common besides the cribs , altho she prefers bangalore and me , of course madras

1130 I decide to look out of the window to distract myself and see the scenery drastically change from forests and fields to real estate plots - every beautiful landscape has been stripped to form these societies - depressing ! A kid wails and her mother tries to distract her . Trains slowing down again and we see some compounds of small houses - its thiruvallur now

1140 I am now hungry - but there's no sign of the veg cutlets - the vendors walked in just twice - bajji , onion vadai, masala vadai, some soup too and even holige or boli , the sweet - but no veg cutlets . Those guys also have disappeared; there's no place for them to walk through the crowd standing I guess

1145 airtel has already welcomed me to chennai - I see the chennai from the window - vast open spaces with towers all over ; reminds me of my maternal grandfather, an engineer of his time who travelled the length and breadth of our country and even abroad building towers . My dads father was another great traveller of his times - a visionary , he had been to so many countries . He would be comfortable in a big city , an electricity less remote forest and villages . Both of them loved nature and heritage and were men of never ending energy and passion . I inherited the wanderlust from them .

1155 finally the outskirts of madras and places I'm familiar with avadi , ambattur - once remember being stranded in ambatttur when I was a difft me, someone who was scared to even get out of the house alone , someone who was always protected and lived a cloistered life .

1200 the bags come down as everyones getting ready to leave - now the local stops will start . This is the difference with the shatabdi - it stops only at central - the coffee , tea, soup, mineral water and cool drinks sales ends .

1201 perambur - always been my dream to see the coach factory here ; fascinated by trains and esplly goods trains - don't ask me why .

1205 - Another 3 odd stations now ; quite a long stop - all the jokers who were standing refused to gv room to those who alighted ; remember travellg by this train a few years ago in a normal non AC compartment and it was a nightmare after katpadi- arakonam - it becomes a local unreserved train with people standing sweating - worse than the most crowded pallavan 29C

1210 finally at basin bridge , speaking to one of the men who is standing near our seat - heard that the group of men waiting here are headg to madras fm katpadi for a meeting . I asked why they didn't organise a coach for them - irony that they were standing all this while and he just shrugged and instead spoke about his life - he was fm bangalore and he is now in the communications dept in katpadi ; he told me the man in the sunflowery badge was their leader called kanhaiya . He started bragging about the guy but we were already approaching central

1215 pulling into central station and the crowd outside the platform is more - the lalbagh leaves as the express and already the gen class compartment is teeming with people who are ready to leave for bangalore . The sea breeze is so refreshing as I step out and breathe the fresh air - I just love this city .

lalbagh diary - musings from the track part 2

0940 just woke up to the strains of samosa dosai - for a moment I thought these guys were getting innovative and stuffing dosas with samosa - the train slows and we pass through a semi forested area - there are trees and thorny shrubs scattered around - something about the trees though ;they seem to spread around casting dark shadows . An old bridge is on the other side and I think I can see some murky water under the bridge . There are some tracks next to me with some coaches scattered - they seem to have been abandoned .

0950 aaloo bonda medhu vadai masala dosa - he pauses at the aisle and looks around . The train slows again as we near gudiyattam - I don't know why but I take a fancy to the station . A small podgy guard waves the green flag and we leave in slow motion , crossing the railway crossing with just one cyclist waiting

1005 we land in the noisiest station so far - katpadi . Its teeming with people and some jokers are parading with some flags raising some congratulatory slogans . Suddenly all the noise is inside the compartment . The men  are wearing some big badges that looks like a withered sunflower with yello satin around with a mug of a guy in the centre - they start sitting wherever they want like in an unreserved compartment . Talks of politics are rife - one guy is the leader ; he is encouraging everyone to follow his example to yell , eat , drink and throw weight around . The kids start wailing and another loud pax starts talking on the phone . A goods train crosses and we are slowly chugging along . Suddenly the journey seems long and the goods train seems to be faster - only half the journey is over

Lalbagh diary - musings from the track - part 1

645 am Coffee , coffee coffee ,chaiyya... A very familiar tone and yet not the usual I thought as I found my seat in the train . Its lalbagh this time and I almost missed the train this morning as I overslept . A slower train than the shatabdi - but just an hour difference though ; stops in many towns, has a pantry car which serves better food and has just two AC coaches , out of which C2 I think is a wee bit better than C1 where I am seated .

Another key difference is that Shatabdi has been taken over by the corporate types who shuttle between the two cities for meetings; but lalbagh is the family train and it feels very homely out here - everyones speaking Tamil here, inc the pantry staff who are warm and chatty

Mine is the last seat and the various aromas of food, stale perfumes, cigarette and urine are in my nostrils and I just can't sleep , the pantry car is overworked - vendors servg vadai, upma and dosa are here by the minute , coffee, tea, biscuits added as well .

I'm havg a tough time asking co pax to close the door of the compartment every time they step out to the wash or to smoke . The genial ticket collector is at it too, but folks are too lost in their own world to worry about my nostrils. Personally I think smokers should go to non ac coaches for a puff .

7:25 A mother has created a cradle for her baby from a saree which is currently dangling from the luggage carrier - a bright orange and green cotton saree with knots on top holds the infant and it keeps swaying - a jerky "thalattu" is what the babys experiencing probably now

750 The orange sun is getting harsher by the day , as the green countryside is filled with a golden hue - there are fields, forests, hills where the tracks cut across ; not much of towns and people as such .

805 The dosa is now tempting - idli is over he says - I order a plate for RS 30 and I get two reasonably tasty dosas with a spoonful of potato and onion masala and its not greasy or oily . I prefer my dosas thin but this is thick , but better than kal dosa - no vada and no chutney I say . I ask him how many dosas they prepare in a day and he parrots 2 in a plate for 30 bucks . I repeat my question and he says " ellam vyabaram daan " (all to do with sales)

0815 Train slowing down - we are at kuppam - the platform here is reasonably quiet . I am standing near the door for some space and typing it . I can strongly smell something . My co pax says mangos - a big carton just lands near by . Train just leaves and a bunch of cyclists waiting at the railway crossing heave a sigh of relief as the train starts. Adjacent to the station is a huge dump and a cemetery amidst the trees . The train picks up speed and I am back on my seat yawning as I type this - maybe will sleep for a while and connect again soon . The dosa guy is back to serve the new pax and he gives me a broad grin as he holds the tray on his head with the chutney vessel almost touching the fan . He takes the money from the pax and stuffs the ten rupee notes in his mouth as he balances with one hand , servg them and giving them the change . The door closes on him and my eyes close too

Just Look up - A book review

Backpacker is a book worm too and consumes at least two paperbacks a week when she is not travelling When she is on the move though , the book that usually travels with her is a field book on birds.

The book that is being read and reviewed today however is not on birds ; its rather about their perches .  I am referring to the green canopy of trees that line our cityscape , painting our lives with colours, if only we look up and see them. That is  exactly what the cover of the book says .. Just look up and see  the magic in the trees around you . I did just that this morning . As I walked around my house in Bangalore , the flowers were in full bloom and the colours refreshing. There was so much drama around as the squirrels chased each other and the birds were flitting around

Author Sadhana Ramchander is no academician and yet her childhood love for gardens and trees has urged her to write the book . She says that it all started when she worked with her children's school in creating nature and tree walks and when she realized that its not just the kids, but adults like us who have forgotten to look up and enjoy the beauty around us. Armed with a camera, she went about photographing trees and flowers and collected little details and trivia about them and lo - the book was born . A simple book , but a wonderful effort nevertheless that enriches our minds and creates awareness about the world of flora that surrounds us .

Just Look up is more than just a ready reckoner of more than 20 common trees in urban sprawls. It has got a foreword by Bittu Sehgal , Editor , Sanctuary Asia and photographs by the author , Sadhana and Karthikeyan Srinivasan , Chief naturalist , Jungle Lodges .What really fascinates me about the book are the little nuggets and snippets , the lovely pictures and beautiful detailing .There is the fiery gulmohar, the golden Indian Labarnum, the raintree, the coral bead tree , whose beads were my precious collection throughout childhood, the sandalwood,the banyan, the badminton ball, the pink trumpet tree, the tree of gold , the jacaranda among others in this collectionAlthough Sadhana has referred to the trees in Hyderabad and Bangalore , most of these are found in almost all cities

I am not very good with names and even as a kid failed thoroughly with the botanical and zoological names . But trees have always forged a deep relationship with me. I grew up with fruit and flowering trees around my home in Madras and even today, some of them still remain. But ask me on the names and I will shake my head. The book is like a field book for dummies like me . In this slender paperback, the gardens open out to you as you read every page ..Next time you look up , see the riot of colours and the drama that they enfold everyday .

If you are interested in buying the book, you can pick it up online here 

Where would you like to be this Monday ?

I would like to be on a train journey somewhere..what about you ?

Skywatch - The sky , the earth and a lone traveller

There is the husband surveying the world beneath his feet from the hills of Karnataka, India .

For more skies, visit Skywatch

Where would you like to be this Monday ?

I was in the forests of Nilgiris , birding and butterflying a few weeks ago..some of these virgin tracts are really virgin..I wish I could go back there- this is the picture of the southern birdwing , the largest butterfly in India .