Comments on Traveller's Tales: Train Journeys in India

@Santanu: You are welcome!@Bishal Rai: I have add...

2008-07-13T15:25:00.000+05:30

@Santanu: You are welcome!

@Bishal Rai: I have added the mention and also linked the picture to your Flickr account. Thanks for pointing out the oversight.

Hi Santanu,I had clicked the photo of Toy Train, D...

2008-07-13T02:40:00.000+05:30

Hi Santanu,

I had clicked the photo of Toy Train, Darjeeling. I remember that you had asked me for permission to paste in on your blog. However, I would appericiate if you could mention it on your blog.

Regards,
Bishal Rai 'Kirath'

Great ShantanuThanks very muchSantanu (without h)

2008-07-12T02:07:00.000+05:30

Great Shantanu
Thanks very much
Santanu (without h)

@rajpal: Welcome to my blog and thank you for the ...

2008-05-09T08:46:00.000+05:30

@rajpal: Welcome to my blog and thank you for the comments! :)

Came across your train blog today. Very well writ...

2008-05-06T10:56:00.000+05:30

Came across your train blog today. Very well written. I agree with you totally on your thoughts & those childhood days travelling across the continent every summer/winter holidays. I was born & brought up in Calcutta but my ancestoral family is in Punjab so every school holidays - we used to make the pilgrimage to Punjab. The distance is about 1800 KMs and and I have very fond memories of those trips. The food, the cha, the smells, the noise, the junk food. Bought a smile to face just be remembering it. I should say 'thank you'. Love your blog BTW. I am a foodie and my life revolves around food.

Keep up the good work.

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2008-01-02T13:23:00.000+05:30

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Great post about the train journey in India! Your ...

2007-12-15T12:48:00.000+05:30

Great post about the train journey in India! Your account on trains and railway stations in India has brought back my childhood memories and my train trips with my family. Train travel is getting better and more enjoyable for upper classes. It is well said by you that Palaces on Wheels India for royal Rajasthan train tour is the ultimate train for the Luxury train Travel within India. It’s pleasure reading your travel tale!

@mansi: You are right. While the stories and the...

2007-12-15T10:58:00.000+05:30

@mansi: You are right. While the stories and the pics whet your appetite, the real fun is in the experience.

I love the train pic!! washed with the rain its am...

2007-12-15T02:41:00.000+05:30

I love the train pic!! washed with the rain its amazing!! some things need to be experienced to be appreciated! this post brought back some fond memories:)

@jessica: Welcome and thanks for the comment! Ye...

2007-12-14T12:54:00.000+05:30

@jessica: Welcome and thanks for the comment! Yes, local trains are a very different experience and vary with the part of the country you are in.

Hi Shantanu ! I found your posts very interesting....

2007-12-14T10:48:00.000+05:30

Hi Shantanu ! I found your posts very interesting. Last year I had taken a trip by Palace on Wheels. These days, as I figured out, getting berths have become genuinely diffcult. I secured one through a company called Indian Holiday. These guys provided good service though.

The journey is truly a lifetime experience. For ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis), it is really connecting with the roots.

But I think true India can be experienced in trips by local trains where you see the real people in their daily wears and tears. I am looking forward to one.

@beaverboosh: Oh yes, trains still take us into t...

2007-12-13T11:42:00.000+05:30

@beaverboosh: Oh yes, trains still take us into the romantic past, don't they?

You stirred my memories of the Theroux classic, Th...

2007-12-10T23:30:00.000+05:30

You stirred my memories of the Theroux classic, The Great Railway Bazar! One day...!

@vishal: Haha! I guess the vendors who invade tra...

2007-12-09T12:12:00.000+05:30

@vishal: Haha! I guess the vendors who invade train compartments do some really creative marketing to sell stuff in the few minutes they get when a train stops. :-)

Have you come across the tea sellers on the mumbai...

2007-12-09T02:39:00.000+05:30

Have you come across the tea sellers on the mumbai - kolkata stretch? I am not exactly sure about the station after which they start appearing but this is what you should look out for: Kharab chai le lo...kharab se kharab chai le lo, ghatiya chai le lo! Someone gave them a course in reverse psychology because everyone buys a cup to find out how bad it actually is!!

@abhay: Thanks for your comments and sharing your...

2007-12-07T14:55:00.000+05:30

@abhay: Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences!

What a refreshing blog-Mahesh brought it lively-th...

2007-12-06T12:58:00.000+05:30

What a refreshing blog-Mahesh brought it lively-the Chai in plastic cup!
Shantanu -the train from Mysore would it be passing thro dense forests of Karwar..? That would have been Awsome..thick jungle,the scent of fallen leaves and your train piercing thro alone-all the 600+passengers ,you feel like part of one group!Though you might have fought with each other earlier while getting into..!! Now on Bhainyo or bahano!

@zhu: I would like to try a train journey in China...

2007-12-06T10:28:00.000+05:30

@zhu: I would like to try a train journey in China too. And the Trans-Siberian railroad, and the one that traverses Australia...

@sandeepa: You are right. The first class coupes have now mostly been replaced with ac compartments.

@indicaspecies: Shatabdis are mostly chair-cars and short-distance trains. But very efficient for business travellers.

Your post brought back pleasant memories of my chi...

2007-12-06T01:01:00.000+05:30

Your post brought back pleasant memories of my childhood days as well when I used to undertake such long train journeys. This year, I travelled on the Shatabdi Express twice and realized how much has changed in terms of service since the earlier days.

Used to love travelling first class in those coops...

2007-12-05T23:43:00.000+05:30

Used to love travelling first class in those coops. Never liked AC coaches that much but I guess they have phased out the First Class Compartments, haven't they ?

My last First Class ride was in 97, travelling alone from Mumbai to Kolkata. Fortunately i had good co-passengers else a copp without the family can get nasty

Great post! I could almost travel with you... I wi...

2007-12-05T09:35:00.000+05:30

Great post! I could almost travel with you... I wish.

I'd love to visit India, such a fascinating place! I can relate a bit to the train stories cause I took many trains in China and in South America - mix of chaos and fun, street merchants hoping in at every stop etc.

Love this post!

More reasons to vacation in India. I have to figur...

2007-12-04T23:50:00.000+05:30

More reasons to vacation in India. I have to figure out how to get that done.

@backpakker: Yes, of course. Ooty is another goo...

2007-12-04T20:14:00.000+05:30

@backpakker: Yes, of course. Ooty is another good train ride too.

@mahesh: Thanks for sharing. This almost qualifies a guest post. :-)

Hi Shantanu, Your post brought back memories of my...

2007-12-04T14:44:00.000+05:30

Hi Shantanu,
Your post brought back memories of my long distance train travel and
the small different things noticed
at various stations - my favourite oddity (and I don't know if it still exists) was non - veg chai sold at Egmore Station -- it was called non-veg since it had gur (jaggery) instead of the usual sugar. The other favourite was/is Wada Pav from Diwadkar at Karjat Station

My experiences with Indian Railway began when I started my engineering degree in Pune - I remember rushing to VT station to find a prime spot on the Deccan Express to Pune early mornings or catching the Deccan Queen at 5:15 PM. The prime spot (read seat) would be relinquished promptly once the train passed Karjat, to sit on the second class compartment steps looking down on the verdant valleys as the train climbed the Ghats or looking down at twinkling city lights (if on the DQ)

Later, when I started work, my train of choice was the Karnavati Express which left Dadar at 6:00ish in the morning. I made friends with all the TCs on that route and would be assured a seat in 2nd AC till Surat. The fun, of course was in the second class compartments - the usual expression of newly formed friendships was the shared dabbas containing dhoklas, theplas and basundi chai in a thermos.

I travelled to Delhi once on the Gitanjali in the sanitized, aseptic first class AC chair car...only to be impressed by the speed and not much else.

I haven't travelled by train much recently, except on the Konkan Railway. The route is definitely beautiful and I have spent many an hour stuck in the doorway, trigger happy with my camera.

Who can forget the baked beans on toast in the Deccan Queen or the cheese toast or the omlette sandwich - all eminently avoidable anywhere else but on Indian Railways, washed down with plastic cups of tea.

Thank you for unleashing a very pleasant flood of thoughts

I still enjoy the toy train that goes to Ooty..the...

2007-12-04T14:24:00.000+05:30

I still enjoy the toy train that goes to Ooty..there is something mystical abt train journeys andrailway platforms..time is so precious today that we would rather fly than go on trains