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Saturday, September 27, 2008

New Delhi Railway Station

New Delhi Railway Station

As one of the largest railway stations in all of India, the New Delhi Railway Station is the sort of attraction that visitors are bound to see as some point or another, provided that they do enough moving about. The station runs over three hundred trains a day to destinations throughout the entire country, so travelers wanting to go just about anywhere, especially to destinations in the northern and eastern parts of the country, can get there from here.

In addition, busses and taxis exist for travel to local sites and establishments, making it not just an ideal point of departure, but arrival as well. Those with an interest in the history of the railroad should take note that the New Delhi Railway Station features the largest route interlock system in the world. Visitors waiting for connecting trains can even take a short walk south to visit the famous Connaught Place if they’re so inclined.

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Friday, September 19, 2008

How to tell if you're Indian

If you're Indian...

* Freedom of speech generally exists, but is not guaranteed.
* The main characters of popular culture are gods of Hindu mythology. Depending on your demographic, you may also be familiar with movie stars such as Amitabh Bacchan, Rajesh Khanna, Madhuri Dixit, Hrithik Roshan, Rajanikanth, Mohanlal or any of many others.
* You know nothing of baseball, basketball or American football. You might play soccer, cricket and field hockey (or variants of them), in addition to domestic games such as kabaddi.
* Vacations usually consist of visiting relations (American-style "getaway" vacations are unheard of). There is no standard length of vacation time; it depends on one's livelihood.
* You almost certainly believe in God; for most Indians good deeds result in either heaven or promotion-type rebirth and bad deeds result in hell or demotion-type rebirth.
* McDonald's or KFC are for occasional outings for upper-middle-class folk in the big cities.
* You probably do not own either a telephone or a TV. The masses do not have bathrooms and do their thing in the open air. They have dirt floors. They eat sitting cross-legged on the floor.

You mean it's not all tandoori chicken?

* You don't consider insects, dogs, cats, monkeys, or guinea pigs to be food. In fact it is very possible you are a strict vegetarian. If you do eat meat it is probably either mutton, chicken or fish. It is expensive and not something you can afford to indulge in everyday. Many people can only afford two meals a day anyway.
* It seems natural to you that the telephone system and railroads are either run by the government or by government enterprises; though things are changing towards more privatization. The train system is the only mode of long distance transport for over 95% of people.
* You find a multiple-party system natural. You expect politicians of all parties to be corrupt and inefficient. Socialism used to be taken seriously till around 1985.
* Instead of "black" and "white" there are thousands of castes forming an elaborate system which governs the social order.
* You think most problems could be solved if only people would be decent.
* You have a court system which is relatively clean and just, but immensely slow. Moreover the illiteracy and poverty of most people and the corruption of administrative and law-enforcement officials make justice-for-all a distant dream.
* You'd respect someone who speaks English, since it is a mark of the affluent classes. Other European languages are largely unknown. There is a great deal of glamor associated with Sanskrit and Persian; they are traditionally the languages of the learned and the well-read.
* School is nominally free or very cheap; but still beyond the range of many people. Infrastructure is totally inadequate and it is often an economic necessity for children to assist parents with earning money. Paradoxically, the best college education is highly subsidized.

How big would a lakh of those seeds be?

* Mustard seeds are bought whole. Shaving cream comes from solid round tablets. Milk comes in the milkman's aluminum cans and is decanted into your container at your doorstep, or at the dairy.
* The date comes first: 15/8/1947. (And you know what happened on that date.)
* The decimal point is a dot. Certainly not a comma.
* A billion is a thousand times a million. But you would be more likely to talk in lakhs (a hundred thousand) or crores (10 million).
* World War II is not terribly important. India's struggle for independence is a more passionate memory.
* You always expect marriages to be arranged by third parties. Getting married by a judge is not something you want to do; you might resort to it if you are eloping. Most marriages are religious ceremonies. All except Muslims are required to be monogamous; Muslims are allowed upto four wives if they desire it.
* For men to have sex with other men is almost totally unheard of. There is a very small number of genuine homosexuals in the big cities. On the other hand, there is a complete absence of American style homophobia in Indian society; it is very common for men to express affection by embracing each other.
* Once you're introduced to someone, you will call him/her by name only if the person is a peer, subordinate or junior. Anyone who is senior or higher in the socio-economic ladder must be addressed with great respect.

No Monicas here

* If you're a woman, you are very modest with your dress. In some Hindu and Muslim families you may feel pressured to avoid visual contact with unrelated men altogether.
* A hotel room has a private bath.
* You do not watch any foreign films.
* You never ever expect to be able to transact business, or deal with the government, without paying bribes.
* The nature of Indian conservatism being what it is, no Indian politican has ever cheated on his wife.
* Credit cards are unknown except in big and expensive stores in the big cities.
* A private sector company can fire just about anybody. For the goverment or for a goverment enterprise it is quite impossible to fire anybody.
* You do not eat bacon.
* There is no Labor Day.

Name that celeb

* Western pop culture icons are unknown to you unless you are an urban upper middle class youth. You would very likely know the following Indian figures, however:
o Sports: Cricket reigns supreme as the Indian spectator sport of choice. Some of the more popular players are Sunil Gawaskar, Kapil Dev, Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar.
o TV shows: a music game show called Antakshari and its anchor Annu Kapoor are extremely popular. There is a host of popular serials too numerous to name ranging from soap operas to comedy.
o Musicians: Classical: Bhimsen Joshi, Zakir Hussain, M. S. Subbulakshmi. Folk: Ila Arun, Shubha Mudgal. Movie soundtrack music (very popular in India): Annu Malik, A. R. Rehman.
* Good medical treatment is a luxury for the upper middle class. For the majority, it is very possible to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You do expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties, but you know that such measures are in vain. You think dying at 65 would give you a long life.
* If you are upper middle class you went over Indian and world history in school; and the ignorance of college educated Americans amazes you.
* You expect the military to fight wars, not get involved in politics.

We got rid of the Brits too

* Your country was colonized by the British till fifty years ago.
* There is a lack of choices for almost anything you buy, but this never even strikes you until you visit the US.
* For the most part you measure things in metres, kilograms, and litres. Feet and inches are used almost exclusively for describing the height of people or small objects. Indian measures are still used in some contexts; e.g. a unit of weight called tola is widely used by goldsmiths.
* You are probably a farmer (or farmhand).
* Comics basically come in two varieties: newspaper comics and magazines; the latter either feature superheroes or Archie etc.
* The people who appear on the most popular talk shows are mostly entertainers, politicians, or rather strange individuals. Certainly not, say, authors.
* You drive on the left side of the road. Traffic lights exist only in the big cities. If you're a pedestrian you watch out for your own safety.
* Cars are a luxury of the rich.
* The police are typically not armed, unless they are guarding VVIPs, in which case they might tote submachine guns.

Girl, have a twinkie!

* If a woman is plumper than the average, it improves her looks. (i.e. what a person considers 'ideal' is likely to be plumper than the American ideal).
* The midday and evening meal are equally light.
* The ethnicity people most often make jokes about are the Sikhs (colloquially referred to as Sardars).
* Sikhs are widely considered to be dumb and good-natured; Biharis, loutish; Gujaratis, money-minded; Bengalis, impractical and talkative; Delhiites, rude and loutish. (Unless of course you belong to one of these groups.)
* There's parts of the city you definitely want to avoid at night.
* You feel that your kind of people aren't being listened to enough in New Delhi.
* You expect both inflation and unemployment to be very high (say, over 15%) at the same time.

Meet the parents

* You care very deeply what family someone comes from and what their caste is.
* When a couple dies, there are different ways to handle the estate: (1) it passes on to the eldest son, (2) it is divided equally between the male progeny, or (3) it is divided equally among all their children.
* Opera and ballet are unknown. Street plays or shows, singing and dancing are very popular, especially in the countryside. Many of these take place at fairs or festivals.
* Christmas is in the winter. If you're Christian, you spend it with your family, light up your house and go to church.
* You are used to not having a state church and the possibility of such a thing has never even occurred to you.
* You'd be hard pressed to name the capitals or the leaders of all the nations of Europe.
* You've never left a message at the beep.
* Taxis are generally operated by ordinary people; they only exist in the big cities.
* Welfare, unemployment payments, social security, and Medicare are unheard of.
* If you want to be a doctor, you need to get a bachelor's first.
* There are some lawyers; they do not particularly make a lot of money.

Space and time

* If you have an appointment, you'll mutter an excuse if you're an hour late.
* If you're talking to someone, you do not get at all uncomfortable if they approach closely.
* You expect to bargain for everything. When you offer a price, you aren't so much probing the seller's minimum, as signalling how much you really want the item.
* Even once you're past college, you might often simply show up at someone's place. People may invite each other but don't have to.
* When you negotiate, you may play convoluted games to get what you want. Also, in social situations, it is sometimes considered improper to be too direct.
* If you have a business appointment or interview with someone, you expect to have that person to yourself, but the business may take any amount of time depending on context.

Getting India's Railroads On Track

27 June 2008, TIME magazine, By Simon Robinson

Until the past few years, Indian Railways (IR) itself was sunk in a languorous snore. The state-owned company, the monopoly owner-operator of the country's rail system, runs 12,000 trains a day over 39,000 miles (62,750 km) of routes, making it the world's largest railroad under a single administration. It was also notorious for being slow, inefficient and requiring constant government bailouts. But over the past six years, India's most important form of transport — "the lifeline of the nation" as it is often called — has undergone a remarkable turnaround. In its fiscal year ending March 2007, Indian Railways made more than $5 billion. Services are improving and rail bosses have announced plans to spend billions on new rolling stock, faster lines and new stations. Though it still gets government funding, IR is now India's second most profitable state-owned company. "Earlier we were dragging the economy down," says Sudhir Kumar, whose official title is officer on special duty to the Railway Minister, and who has helped oversee the revitalization. "Now we are leading the economy from the front."

The resurrection of India's railroads was a three-step process that has been so successful it is studied by visiting business students from places such as Harvard, Wharton and INSEAD. The first step: speed things up — not the trains themselves but the turnaround time between the end and beginning of each new trip. In 2001 the average time to unload, repair, refuel and reload a freight train in India was 7.1 days. Now it is just five days, which means that 800 trains leave on a new journey each day, rather than just 550. Given that an additional trip can earn up to $15 million, the improvement made an important contribution to IR's bottom line. IR also made sure each freight locomotive carries more cars, hence more cargo. That brings in an extra $1.5 billion a year, according to Kumar, who compares the railroads under old management practices to "a Jersey cow that we forgot to milk fully."

Finally, passenger trains have also been increased in length. Until a few years ago a typical train had about 15 carriages. IR officials discovered that a passenger-train journey could earn a profit with 24 carriages, which became the target length. By pushing the "quicker, heavier, longer" mantra, rail bosses have also been able to improve services. For example, in 2006 IR began offering special express trains on certain routes such as the run between New Delhi and Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. Tourists making day trips to India's most popular tourist attraction now can book online and sit in comfortable seats during a trip that takes less than two hours instead of almost three. Even on longer, slower trips the catering, which is now outsourced, has improved.

The man many people credit with rail's comeback is Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, a controversial figure, as his term as Chief Minister of Bihar was characterized by mismanagement and corruption. Yadav is certainly lucky that he's heading Indian Railways during a period of tremendous growth in India. The company is minting money hauling freight for mines thanks to the massive demand for iron ore in China, to cite just one example. Contracts with mining firms are now linked to the price of ore rather than "set in concrete like in the old socialist fashion".

Hoping to grab more of the long-haul freight business lost to truckers in recent years, rail bosses plan to borrow at least $15 billion to build a dedicated fast-freight corridor between Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata. They also have big plans for some of the 1 million acres (420,000 hectares) of land that IR owns along rail lines and around stations and shunt yards. Real estate developers are currently bidding to overhaul the first of 16 major stations. At New Delhi's central station, which is likely worth billions of dollars, developers plan hotels, wireless Internet services and food courts.

Still, IR has miles to go before it can be called a first-class operation. Train travel in India remains infuriatingly slow for the 18 million Indians riding a train on any given day. A 1,378-mile (2,217 km) trip from New Delhi to Goa just before Christmas, for instance, took me 35 hours, almost a day longer than a train trip over a similar distance in Europe would take. Because of a lack of equipment and tiny station platforms, freight is sometimes thrown from trains in heaps. The heavier loading, critics charge, has caused more breakdowns. Older carriages can be dirty, shabby and full of cockroaches — and that's in upper class.

"Railways were in a denial mode, living on past glories from when we were a natural monopoly," Kumar says. "Now we have to compete — and we are."

Early Policy Developments India

Many early post-independence leaders, such as Nehru, were influenced by socialist ideas and advocated government intervention to guide the economy, including state ownership of key industries. The objective was to achieve high and balanced economic development in India in the general interest while particular programs and measures helped the poor. India's leaders also believed that industrialization was the key to economic development. This belief was all the more convincing in India because of the country's large size, substantial natural resources, and desire to develop its own defense industries.

The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1948 gave government a monopoly in armaments, atomic energy, and railroads, and exclusive rights to develop minerals, the iron and steel industries, aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding, and manufacturing of telephone and telegraph equipment. Private companies operating in those fields were guaranteed at least ten years more of ownership before the government could take them over. Some still operate as private companies in India.

The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 greatly extended the preserve of government. There were seventeen industries exclusively in the public sector. The Indian government took the lead in another twelve industries, but private companies could also engage in production. This resolution covered industries producing capital and intermediate goods. As a result, the private sector was relegated primarily to production of consumer goods. The public sector also expanded into more services. In 1956 the life insurance business was nationalized, and in 1973 the general insurance business was also acquired by the public sector. Most large commercial banks in India were nationalized in 1969. Over the years, the central and state governments formed agencies, and companies engaged in finance, trading, mineral exploitation, manufacturing, utilities, and transportation. The public sector was extensive and influential throughout the economy, although the value of its assets was small relative to the private sector.

Controls over prices, production, and the use of foreign exchange, which were imposed by the British during World War II, were reinstated soon after independence. The Industries (Development and Regulation) Act of 1951 and the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 (with subsequent additions) provided the legal framework for the government to extend price controls that eventually included steel, cement, drugs, nonferrous metals, chemicals, fertilizer, coal, automobiles, tires and tubes, cotton textiles, food grains, bread, butter, vegetable oils, and other commodities. By the late 1950s, controls were pervasive, regulating investment in industry, prices of many commodities, imports and exports, and the flow of foreign exchange.

Export growth in India was long ignored. The government's extensive controls and pervasive licensing requirements created imbalances and structural problems in many parts of the economy. Controls were usually imposed to correct specific problems but often without adequate consideration of their effect on other parts of the economy. For example, government of India set low prices for basic foods, transportation, and other commodities and services, a policy designed to protect the living standards of the poor. However, the policy proved counterproductive when the government also limited the output of needed goods and services. Price ceilings were implemented during shortages, but the ceiling frequently contributed to black markets in those commodities and to tax evasion by black-market participants. Import controls and tariff policy stimulated local manufacturers toward production of import-substitution goods, but under conditions devoid of sufficient competition or pressure to be efficient.

Private trading and industrial conglomerates (the so-called large houses) existed under the British and continued after independence. The government viewed the conglomerates with suspicion, believing that they often manipulated markets and prices for their own profit. After independence the government instituted licensing controls on new businesses, especially in manufacturing, and on expanding capacity in existing businesses. In the 1960s, when shortages of goods were extensive, considerable criticism was leveled at traders for manipulating markets and prices. The result was the 1970 Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Act, which was designed to provide the government with additional information on the structure and investments of all firms that had assets of more than Rs200 million (for value of the rupee--see Glossary), to strengthen the licensing system in order to decrease the concentration of private economic power, and to place restraints on certain business practices considered contrary to the public interest. The act emphasized the government's aversion to large companies in the private sector, but critics contended that the act resulted from political motives and not from a strong case against big firms. The act and subsequent enforcement restrained private investment.

The extensive controls, the large public sector, and the many government programs contributed to a substantial growth in the administrative structure of government. Indian government also sought to take on many of the unemployed. The result was a swollen, inefficient bureaucracy that took inordinate amounts of time to process applications and forms. Business leaders complained that they spent more time getting government approval than running their companies. Many observers also reported extensive corruption in the huge bureaucracy. One consequence was the development of a large underground economy in small-scale enterprises and the services sector.

India's current economic reforms began in 1985 when the government abolished some of its licensing regulations and other competition-inhibiting controls. Since 1991 more "new economic policies" or reforms have been introduced. Reforms include currency devaluations and making currency partially convertible, reduced quantitative restrictions on imports, reduced import duties on capital goods, decreases in subsidies, liberalized interest rates, abolition of licenses for most industries, the sale of shares in selected public enterprises, and tax reforms. Although many observers welcomed these changes and attributed the faster growth rate of the economy in the late 1980s to them, others feared that these changes would create more problems than they solved. The growing dependence of the economy on imports, greater vulnerability of its balance of payments, reliance on debt, and the consequent susceptibility to outside pressures on economic policy directions caused concern. The increase in consumerism and the display of conspicuous wealth by the elite exacerbated these fears.

The pace of liberalization increased after 1991. By the mid-1990s, the number of sectors reserved for public ownership was slashed, and private-sector investment was encouraged in areas such as energy, steel, oil refining and exploration, road building, air transportation, and telecommunications. An area still closed to the private sector in the mid-1990s was defense industry. Foreign-exchange regulations in India were liberalized, foreign investment was encouraged, and import regulations were simplified. The average import-weighted tariff was reduced from 87 percent in FY 1991 to 33 percent in FY 1994. Despite these changes, the economy remained highly regulated by international standards. The import of many consumer goods was banned, and the production of 838 items, mostly consumer goods, was reserved for companies with total investment of less than Rs6 million. Although the government had sold off minority stakes in public-sector companies, it had not in 1995 given up control of any enterprises, nor had any of the loss-making public companies been closed down. Moreover, although import duties had been lowered substantially, they were still high compared to most other countries.

Political successes in the mid-1990s by nationalist-oriented political parties led to some backlash against foreign investment in some parts of India. In early 1995, official charges of serving adulterated products were made against a KFC outlet in Bangalore, and Pepsi-Cola products were smashed and advertisements defaced in New Delhi. The most serious backlash occurred in Maharashtra in August 1995 when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP--Indian People's Party)-led state government halted construction of a US$2.8 million 2,015-megawatt gas-fired electric-power plant being built near Bombay (Mumbai in the Marathi language) by another United States company, Enron Corporation.

India Economic policies 1995 data.

Overview - Indian HIstory

History of India . An overview : The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. This civilization declined around 1500 B.C., probably due to ecological changes.

During the second millennium B.C., pastoral, Aryan-speaking tribes migrated from the northwest into the subcontinent. As they settled in the middle Ganges River valley, they adapted to antecedent cultures.

The political map of ancient and medieval India was made up of myriad kingdoms with fluctuating boundaries. In the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., northern India was unified under the Gupta Dynasty. During this period, known as India's Golden Age, Hindu culture and political administration reached new heights.

Islam spread across the Indian subcontinent over a period of 500 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established sultanates in Delhi. In the early 16th century, descendants of Genghis Khan swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul) Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years. From the 11th to the 15th centuries, southern India was dominated by Hindu Chola and Vijayanagar Dynasties. During this time, the two systems--the prevailing Hindu and Muslim--mingled, leaving lasting cultural influences on each other.

The first British outpost in South Asia was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast. Later in the century, the East India Company opened permanent trading stations at Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, each under the protection of native rulers.

The British expanded their influence from these footholds until, by the 1850s, they controlled most of present-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In 1857, a rebellion in north India led by mutinous Indian soldiers caused the British Parliament to transfer all political power from the East India Company to the Crown. Great Britain began administering most of India directly while controlling the rest through treaties with local rulers.

In the late 1800s, the first steps were taken toward self-government in British India with the appointment of Indian councilors to advise the British viceroy and the establishment of provincial councils with Indian members; the British subsequently widened participation in legislative councils. Beginning in 1920, Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi transformed the Indian National Congress political party into a mass movement to campaign against British colonial rule. The party used both parliamentary and nonviolent resistance and non-cooperation to achieve independence.

On August 15, 1947, India became a dominion within the Commonwealth, with Jawaharlal Nehru as Prime Minister. Enmity between Hindus and Muslims led the British to partition British India, creating East and West Pakistan, where there were Muslim majorities. India became a republic within the Commonwealth after promulgating its constitution on January 26, 1950.

After independence, the Congress Party, the party of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, ruled India under the influence first of Nehru and then his daughter and grandson, with the exception of two brief periods in the 1970s and 1980s.

Prime Minister Nehru governed India until his death in 1964. He was succeeded by Lal Bahadur Shastri, who also died in office. In 1966, power passed to Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977. In 1975, beset with deepening political and economic problems, Mrs. Gandhi declared a state of emergency and suspended many civil liberties. Seeking a mandate at the polls for her policies, she called for elections in 1977, only to be defeated by Moraji Desai, who headed the Janata Party, an amalgam of five opposition parties.

In 1979, Desai's Government crumbled. Charan Singh formed an interim government, which was followed by Mrs. Gandhi's return to power in January 1980. On October 31, 1984, Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated, and her son, Rajiv, was chosen by the Congress (I)--for "Indira"--Party to take her place. His government was brought down in 1989 by allegations of corruption and was followed by V.P. Singh and then Chandra Shekhar.

In the 1989 elections, although Rajiv Gandhi and Congress won more seats in the 1989 elections than any other single party, he was unable to form a government with a clear majority. The Janata Dal, a union of opposition parties, was able to form a government with the help of the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the right and the communists on the left. This loose coalition collapsed in November 1990, and the government was controlled for a short period by a breakaway Janata Dal group supported by Congress (I), with Chandra Shekhar as Prime Minister. That alliance also collapsed, resulting in national elections in June 1991.

On May 27, 1991, while campaigning in Tamil Nadu on behalf of Congress (I), Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, apparently by Tamil extremists from Sri Lanka. In the elections, Congress (I) won 213 parliamentary seats and put together a coalition, returning to power under the leadership of P.V. Narasimha Rao. This Congress-led government, which served a full 5-year term, initiated a gradual process of economic liberalization and reform, which has opened the Indian economy to global trade and investment. India's domestic politics also took new shape, as traditional alignments by caste, creed, and ethnicity gave way to a plethora of small, regionally based political parties.

The final months of the Rao-led government in the spring of 1996 were marred by several major political corruption scandals, which contributed to the worst electoral performance by the Congress Party in its history. The Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged from the May 1996 national elections as the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha but without enough strength to prove a majority on the floor of that Parliament. Under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP coalition lasted in power 13 days. With all political parties wishing to avoid another round of elections, a 14-party coalition led by the Janata Dal emerged to form a government known as the United Front, under the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, H.D. Deve Gowda. His government lasted less than a year, as the leader of the Congress Party withdrew his support in March 1997. Inder Kumar Gujral replaced Deve Gowda as the consensus choice for Prime Minister of a 16-party United Front coalition.

In November 1997, the Congress Party in India again withdrew support for the United Front. New elections in February 1998 brought the BJP the largest number of seats in Parliament--182--but fell far short of a majority. On March 20, 1998, the President inaugurated a BJP-led coalition government with Vajpayee again serving as Prime Minister. On May 11 and 13, 1998, this government conducted a series of underground nuclear tests forcing U.S. President Clinton to impose economic sanctions on India pursuant to the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act.

In April 1999, the BJP-led coalition government fell apart, leading to fresh elections in September. The National Democratic Alliance-a new coalition led by the BJP-gained a majority to form the government with Vajpayee as Prime Minister in October 1999.

Traditions

Namaskar

Namaskar or Namaste, is the most popular form of greeting in India. Both palms are brought together and raised just below the face. It is a salutation of welcoming and bidding farewell. The joined palms symbolize one mind. The right hand represents higher nature, and the left hand represents worldly or lower nature.
Mehndi

An ancient Indian tradition, this body art has become a modern fashion trend in the West. Indian mehndi is intricate lines of reddish-brown lacey or floral patterns. Traditionally, Indian women adorn their hands and feet with beautiful mehndi designs for celebrations of weddings, festivals, and other special occasions. A bride is not expected to perform any housework until her wedding mehndi has faded.

This temporary tattoo is safe, painless, completely natural, and non-toxic. It is created by grounding henna plants and mixing with hot water. This paste is then traced in a design on the desired body part. A solution of lemon juice and sugar is applied to the drying mehndi to "set it".

Originating in ancient Egypt, mehndi has been made popular by many of today's celebrities. Now a craze for men as well as women, mehndi can be seen all over the body in an array of colors.
Tilak

A ritual mark on the forhead, between the brows, symbolizes the quest for the opening of the spiritual eye (third eye). The spot between the brows is considered to be the seat of wisdom and mental concentration. All rites and ceremonies of Hindus begin with a tilak being topped with a few grains of rice.
Bindi

Considered a symbol of the Goddess Parvati, this traditionally red dot between the eyebrows of women, signifies female energy and is believed to offer protection for the woman and her husband. Originally a symbol of marriage, it is now a decorative worn also by unmarried girls and women.

Religions

Vedic Tradition

The Vedic background of India's religious traditions is a lively topic of debate. Although the origin of this tradition is uncertain, its influence is apparent.
Hinduism

Possibly the most ancient tradition, Hinduism is complex and not easily classified. It is an ideology of liberal attitude, tolerance, and patience, that is rooted in casteism and regionalism.
Buddhism

Originating in northern India from the teachings of Gautam Siddhartha, the Buddhism tradition has spread throughout the world in its 2500 years. The title "Buddha" translates to "Awakened One". This popular tradition has both monastic and non-monastic followers.
Jainism

An ancient ascetical tradition, Jainism is a tradition that also has monastic and non-monastic followers. Unlike Buddhism, Jains did not usually travel outside of India. Today there are approximately 4 million Jains, all except 200,000 are in India.
Islam

Dating back to the 7th century, this tradition is a "religion of the book". The Qur'an of Islam is considered the full and final revelation of the One Creator to the last prophet Muhammed. It is arguably the most populous religious tradition in the world today.
Sikhism

This tradition evolved from the teachings of Guru Nanak and his nine successors, ending with Guru Gobind Singh. The teaching authority passed to the Guru Granth Sahib, a highly honored scripture. There are about 14 million Sikhs worldwide, most of whom still live in or near the Punjab state of northern India.
Zoroastrianism

This tradition was a major religion of the Persian Empire. It has been preserved mainly by Parsi(Persian) immigrants to India and a small number of descendents living throughout the world.

India Monuments

Stories and legends are told about the great monuments in India. India has a vast culture, interesting facts and the revelations are marvelous. As one looks at the beauty of Taj Mahal, we can just see the love Emperor Shah Jahan had for his wife. The work of Ustad Isa Khan, the architect who designed this piece is exquisite. This is surely one of the best heritage sites in India.
Down south is the Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple which bears the Shiv linga which was worshipped by Lord Indra to absolve him from sin. The Meenakshi Sundareshwar temple is a granite form and has twelve gopuras. Gopuras are the traditional architectural towers in the south of India. There are several shrines with the primary two shrines of the main Shiva and Parvathy.


The Nagara architecture is well seen in the Khajuraho temples. The works are in rough granite and depict a lot of tradition. This represent the pictures of Gods and Goddesses. The beauty of apsaras and deities is well seen in the carvings. The interior is well designed to allow air and light and this is certainly a tourists must-visit place.

The churches in Goa are spell bounding with their masterpiece works. The façade, interiors, dome shaped ceiling, painted windows are a treat to ones eyes. The Portuguese churches are again typical in their setting. St Francis of Asisi, Chapel of St. Cahterine, Church of lady of Rosary and Basilica of Bom Jesus are some of the masterpieces. The Ajanta and Ellora caves are set in Aurangabad which are thirty in number. Most heritage sites are a result of accidental discovery and this too was found by a group of British people who were on a hunting expedition. There is a prayer hall, monastery which strongly suggest Buddhist culture in the Ajanta caves. The Ellora again shows the traces of Jain, Buddhist and Brahman religions.

The Agra fort over the banks of Yamuna is another great place. The red stone colour is unique with the grandeur effect of architecture. Fatehpur Sikri was at its peak during the administration of Akbar. The tomb of Saint Sheik S Chisti, Jama Masjid, Bulund Darwaza are some of the monuments that are famous hers. The Konark temple, Hampi, Qutab Minar are other famous monuments in India.

India Transportation

Indian Railroads: Track route length 62,458 in mid-1990s, fourth most heavily used system in world, both for passengers and freight; all government-owned and operated by Indian Railways. Some 14,600 kilometers double or multiple tracked; 11,000 kilometers electrified, 116,000 bridges; some high-speed routes; domestic production of most rolling stock and other components. Major government investment in modernization in 1990s. Full metro system in Calcutta, rapid transit system in Madras & major system planned for New Delhi; Bombay served by suburban rail network.

Indian Roads: Almost 2 million kilometers; 960,000 kilometers surfaced roads, and more than 1 million kilometers constructed of gravel, crushed stone, or earth. Fifty-three highways, almost 20,000 kilometers in total length, rated as national highways; carry about 40 percent of road traffic. Around 60 percent of all passenger traffic travels by road. Urban transit dominated by motor vehicles; increasing use of two- and three-wheel vehicles, automobiles, minibuses, buses, trucks. Large cities have major urban bus systems. Bullocks, camels, elephants, and other beasts of burden seen throughout India.

Maritime Transport in India: Eleven major ports and 139 minor ports. In 1995 three government-owned and between fifty and sixty privately owned shipping companies. Four major and three medium-sized shipyards, all government run, thirty-five smaller shipyards in private sector. Major coastal and ocean trade routes, more than 16,000 kilometers of inland waterways, more than 3,600 kilometers navigable by large vessels, although only about 2,000 kilometers used.

Airports : Two airlines (Air India and Indian Airlines) and one helicopter service (Pawan Hans) owned by government and six privately owned airlines; latter account for only 10 percent of domestic air traffic. Of 288 airports, 208 permanent-surface runways and two runways of more than 3,659 meters. Major international airports at Bombay (Mumbai), Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). International service also from Mamargao (Goa), Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Major regional airports at Ahmadabad, Allahabad, Pune, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Kochi (Cochin), Nagpur, and Thiruvananthapuram.LoC 1995.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Tour of Palace on Wheels in India

Kuuuuu& Chuk Chuk!!! Doesn't the whistle of the luxury train seem to invite you, If your answer is not in affirmative, it soon will be. After having gone through this article you will have a strong desire be onboard the luxury trains of India. The Palace on Wheels, the Royal Orient and the Toy Trains are the pride of Indian Railways, the largest passenger train service in the world.

The train tourism in India has actually done wonders bringing to life the concept of 'live life king-size'. The luxury trains of India namely the Palace-on-Wheels and the Royal Orient do more than providing opportunity of sightseeing the Indian States of Rajasthan and Gujarat. They offer an unforgettable holiday experience. The Palace on Wheels lives by its name and is no less than a fort on the swing. The lavish lifestyle, the facilities, the décor, the comfort and the style have made the first tourist train of India the most sought after. The journey is like a dream come true.
In a way it is the fusion of the East with the West, it is the amalgamation of all the modern day facilities including the air conditioners, bars etc. with the trails through the picturesque cities of Rajasthan. The marvelous train that today is a joint effort of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and the Indian Railways is a legacy from the Rajputanas, the Viceroy of the British India and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

The slow yet steady track takes the tourists through the lows of the Indian Desert and the highs of the Aravalli range. The itinerary of the royal trip has been thoughtfully planned to concentrate on the journey at night and focus on sight seeing during the daytime. The shopping sprees in the bustling bazaars have also been well taken care of. Tourism aboard the Palace-on-Wheels is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the legendary traditional hospitality of India and in the royal state, Rajasthan. The spectacular combination of the sight, sound and smell of royal India will not fail to sweep you off your feet. Plus you get to savor the taste of celebrated Indian food. The views of terrific Taj Mahal, huge Hawa Mahal and its likes make the tour an absolute joy.

During this excursion, the tourists are overwhelmed with the beauty at the major stations of Jaipur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Bharatpur, and Agra chugging through the culturally colorful states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The welcoming elephants, garlands, music and dance can never fail to enchant any of the tourists. What better way of touring Rajasthan than being aboard the Palace-on-Wheels. The Desert Queen of Rajasthan has contributed immensely to the promotion of tourism in the state as well as in India.

You may even opt for a voyage onboard the Royal Orient, the train offering both style and comfort. The Royal Orient of India happens to be one of the most exotic trains in the world. It is a project of the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited along with the Indian Railways. The rainbow of cities trotted by the royal extravagance of the bygone era include Delhi, Chittaurgarh, Junagarh, Veraval, Somnath, Sasan Gir, Ahmedpur, Mandvi/Palitana/ Sarkhej, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. For the pious tourists the halt at Somnath gives them the opportunity to offer prayers at one of the twelve holiest Shiva temples. For all the tourists the 11th century Shiva temple is a must visit. The temple was repeatedly destroyed and each time rebuilt in a more magnificent manner. For the wildlife freaks there is the opportunity to spot the Asiatic Lion in its natural habitat at the Sasan Gir Sanctuary. The 863 Jain temples in hills of Palitana have a charm of their own. Basking in the sun at the Ahmedpur Mandvi beach is a beautiful experience.

The range of stations varies from placid, ancient temples, a stunning sea resort and exotic wild life. It runs through the months of September to April. The memories will for sure be as golden as the sand. Relish the recreation of the extravaganza of the bygone princely era in Indian holiday. The weeklong journey aboard the Royal Orient is the best way to enjoy the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The holiday on Royal Orient offers you

Besides the Royal trains, the toy trains of India have attracted many a tourists. The ride on the train with a 4500 kilometers track chugs through the popular hill stations of the country like Shimal, Darjeeling, Ooty/ Udagamandalam or Ootacamund and Matheran. The toy trains are called so because of the narrow gauge railway lines they ride on. The Matheran Light Railway is another tourist attraction in India. The tiny mountain train commences its journey from Neral that is well connected by Mumbai suburban trains. The rail and road play hide and seek with each other, meeting and disappearing time and again.

The gradual gradient and the little toy trains urge you to be patient in life and enjoy each moment as it comes. Puffing along the jungles of Sal and teak, mountains, rocks and orchids. The nature seems to be at its best with the pace of the train and the rhythm of life.

The wondrous miniature of rail engineering that offers the most scenic beauties of the Himalayas from Kalka to Shimla and another from Jal Pai Guri to Darjeeling. The tourists are attracted to the old-world-charm offered by the toy train from Kalka to Shimla.

Promoting the train tourism in India is the Kangra Railway. Across the picturesque Kangra valley in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh the Kangra Railway is an experience in itself. There are not many places in India that can match the picturesque beauty of the Kangra valley in the sub-Himalayas. The beautiful glens and streams pass by the train making the journey a pleasure.

Down south we have a baffling trip around the Nilgiris, the mysterious tinge of blue that made the mountain name to be called so. The journey through the tea and coffee plantations, into the dense forests and up to the mountains offers the humming insects and the chirping birds simultaneously. Deep ravines and the cascading green slopes come as bonuses to the tourists of the Indian railways. These spots have repeatedly attracted members of the film industry. The mysterious mist will refresh you for quiet a few days though the Blue Mountain Railway has already completed its centenary. No doubt the train tourism is doing so well in the Nilgiri Mountain Railway.

So have you got your tickets booked for an odyssey of a lifetime? The royal week ahead awaits you with the accompanying family and friends. Be the 'Prince' or the 'Princess' as soon as you can! Wander amongst the blues of the hills and feel the morning mist that will rejuvenate you better than any of the gels, for sure.

Buddhist Special Train

DELHI
Musical Fountain in Akshardham Temple The train leaves from Safdarjung Station at Delhi for Gaya. You'll be served the dinner on board the train.


Day 02 -
GAYA
Gaya is one of the most important pilgrimage places for the Hindus. It is believed that a Hindu will reach heaven if his last rites are offered under the celebrated 'Akshayabat' or immortal banyan tree, standing in the yard of Vishnupad temple. Believed to be built on the footsteps of Vishnu, the grand temple was renovated by Ahalyabai, queen of Indore.



Day 03 -
.
RAJGIR NALANDA
Nalanda is situated around 90 km off Patna and is part of the Buddhist Circuit that also includes Bodh Gaya and Rajgir. Nalanda, one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient times, is located in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.

Thsough the Buddha visited Nalanda several times during his lifetime, this famous centre of Buddhist learning shot to fame much later, during 5th - 12th centuries. The Chinese scholar and traveler Hiuen Tsang stayed here in the 7th century, and has left an elaborate description of the excellence, and purity of monastic life practised here. About 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from all over the Buddhist world lived and studied in this international university. The Nalanda Museum and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihar are definitely worth a visit. The Nandangarh stupa, nearby, is believed to house the ashes of the Buddha.
Day 04 -
VARANASI
Varanasi, or Benaras as it was earlier called, sacred to the Hindus has many names: Kashika, or 'the shining one' referring to the light of Shiva. At a distance of 12 km from Varanasi lies Sarnath, where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon. Here he revealed the eight fold path that leads to the attainment of inner peace, enlightment and ultimate Nirvana.


Day 05 -
GORAKHPUR-KHUSINAGAR
About 51 kilometres from Gorakhpur lies Kushinagar, Kushinagar, one of the principal centre of Buddhist pilgrimage, is the place where Lord Buddha left his corporeal self and attained Mahaparinirvana.




Day 06 -
GORAKHPUR-LUMBINI-GORAKHPUR
Lumbini Situated in Nepal at a distance of 122 km from Gorakhpur, Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha.


Day 07 -
GONDA-SRASWATI-GONDA
Sravasti is located in Gonda district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Sravasti was the largest town in the Gangetic plains in the lifetime of Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha performed the most talked about of miracles when he created many images of himself. It is a very popular theme among the artists of Buddhist leanings. Buddhism was very much popular in Sravasti even in the lifetime of Lord Buddha.

Day 08 -
AGRA-FATEHPUR SIKRI-AGRA-DELHI
This is the city which can be declared to be the most authoritative centre of tourism in India. Agra is known all over the world for the legendary monument Taj Mahal which is also one of the seven wonders of the world. The Lodhi ruler Sikandar Lodhi made Agra his capital some time in the sixteenth century. Later Agra went into the hands of Mughals and it was the time when some of the most stunning monuments of the human history came up in the city.

Agra is an important destination on the tourism scene of the world and this city alone accounts for three heritage monuments. These are - Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Not very many cities of the world can match the history and heritage of Agra.

Wheeling on fast track

INDIAN Railways today is quite upbeat on closing the fiscal 2006-07 with a massive cash surplus of Rs 20,000 crore (before Dividend). And achieved that without imposing undue burden on the common man. In fact, he has bettered on fiscal 2005-06 that ended with a cash surplus of Rs 14,700 crore. No established financial management theory can explain how it happens. Railways minister Lalu Prasad has his own economics and management theory.

“I have a tremendous sense of pride and gratitude. Pride in the fact that the Railways are poised to create history by generating a cash surplus before Dividend of Rs 20,000 cr as against Rs 14,700 cr in the previous year. This is the same Railway that defaulted on payment of Dividend and whose fund balances dipped to Rs 359 cr in 2001,” he said in his 2007-08 Budget speech and attributed this huge success to his 1.4 million railway family members “who in the face of stiff competition have conquered all odds with an indomitable spirit displaying matchless zeal, vigour and teamwork.”

“By rendering an unprecedented surplus in spite of the reduction in passenger fares, we have disproved the myth that Railways were sinking in to a financial crisis due to social obligations. Our turnaround strategy based on a perfect blend of commercial wisdom and empathy for the people has made the Railways a centre of attraction for the world,” he said.

In the first nine months of the current fiscal year terminating on March 31, 2007 Railways have registered a record-breaking growth. The Passenger earnings have increased by 14 percent and other coaching earnings by 48 percent during April to December 2006. A historic increase of 17 percent was registered in both freight earnings and gross traffic earnings during this nine-month period. Based on the growth registered so far, the revised estimates for Passenger, Other coaching, Freight and Gross Traffic Earnings have been kept at Rs.17,400 crore, Rs 1,726 crore, Rs42,299 and Rs. 63,120 crore, respectively. Gross Traffic Earnings are likely to go up by 16 per cent in comparison with last year and exceed Budget Estimates by 5.5 per cent.”

Cash surplus before Dividend is expected to be Rs.20,063 crore Net Revenue is expected to stand at Rs 14,870 cr. The surplus, after payment of Dividend of Rs.3,579 crore and deferred Dividend of Rs.663 crore, is expected to be Rs. 10,627 crore. Indian Railways is poised to achieve an operating ratio of 78.7 percent during the current fiscal. This is “perhaps the first occasion in the glorious history of 150 years of Indian Railways when our fund balances would reach Rs. 16,000 crores and the Net Revenue to Capital ratio, an historic level, of 20 per cent. Indian Railways’ name would thus be included in the select club of Railways in the world, having an operating ratio of less than 80 per cent”, the Railways minister pointed out in his Budget speech.

NASSCOM Award

India Railways, Asia’s largest network, has bagged IT Transformation Award 2006 of NASSCOM, the national platform of the Indian IT industry. Commenting on Indian Railways achievement, Kiran Karnik, President of NASSCOM said that the Indian Railways is “an extraordinary example of a turnaround story, and their plans of public private partnerships for IT (which include ERP, MIS, and optimisation and consolidation of multiple applications and Mission 2015 plan), makes this a challenging and exciting opportunity for IT companies.”

Indian Railways will invest $ 1.5 billion or Rs 6000 crore over the next five years to upgrade IT facilities in rail network. "We have the best operating ratio..Have invested Rs 1000 crore on IT in the 10th Five year Plan and plans to invest 1.5 billion dollar over the next five year years", Sudhir Kumar, OSD to Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, said at the NASSCOM award giving ceremony on June 25.

In September, the Indian Railways would be inviting the best open competitive bids from the IT companies for several initiatives. These IT initiatives include giving hand-held computers to ticket examiners, building cyber cafes at stations, digitizing the signaling system and linking all online applications with the computerized reservation system and tracking the passenger and freight trains, he pointed out.

World Fastest Trains

The TGV train of France

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service developed by GEC- Alsthom (now Alstom) and SNCF, the French national rail operator, and operated primarily by SNCF. Following the inaugural TGV service between Paris and Lyon in 1981, the TGV network, centred on Paris, has expanded to connect cities across France and in adjacent countries. It holds the record for the fastest wheeled train, having reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on 3 April 2007, and also holds the world's highest average speed for a regular passenger service. TGV is a registered trademark of SNCF. TGV is an acronym for train grande vitesse, French for "high-speed train".

The Bullet Train of Japan
Bullet trains or Shinkansen is a network of high- speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Test run speeds of the train have been 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record of 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets, in 2003. Bullet trains or Shinkansen is the world busiest high-speed rail and carries 375,000 passengers a day. The name of Bullrt train is due to the Shinkansen locomotive's resemblance to a bullet and its high speed.

The bullet train or Shinkansen train of Japan
The bullet train (Shinkansen) of Japan
The Eurostar train of England

The Eurostar train of England
The ICE/Nachtzug train of Germany
The TAV train of Italy
Trans-Siberian Railways Russia
The KTX train South Korea
The AVE train Spain
Great Southern Rail Limited Australia
The VR trains Finland

RFID System

The Indian Railways is all geared to conduct a pilot project for automatic identification of railway wagons using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system across India.

The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) will oversee the pilot, run by a private firm.

According to highly placed sources at CRIS, the Indian Railways, decided to use RFID for effectively monitoring and utilizing the movement of wagons across the country.

"Indian Railways is the largest in the world and possesses about 230,000 freight wagons known freight railcars. Out of these, 200,000 wagons run on the Broad Gauge (BG) system. In order to improve the effective utilization of these wagons, it is proposed to implement a system of online tracking of these wagons as they move on the Railway system (comprising approximately 62000 route kilometers, including 48000 route kilometers on the BG system), using automatic identification and data capture methods," the sources said.

The sources said that during the 60-day pilot project, the railways proposes to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, affixing RFID tags to about 500 wagons.

"The pilot project envisages fixing of radio-frequency tags on 500 wagons plying on a defined section and automatically reading the data at four to five locations using both fixed and hand-held readers. It further envisages moving and storing the data in near-real-time to a central server located in CRIS, New Delhi. Interfaces from this server will provide the data to Indian Railways' Freight Operations Information System (FOIS) and other applications," they said.

Sources said the pilot project shall be implemented in the Talcher – Paradeep – Vishakhapatnam section of the East Coast Railway.

Data will be read at the entrance and exits to the yards at Talcher, Paradeep, and Vishakhapatnam, and the data of wagon numbers read from each tag, with timestamp, will be updated in the FOIS application and / or with any other application at a later date.

"Tag readers would be placed at various locations along the track. Handheld readers would also be given to staff at key railway installations. The readers would read identification data off the tags. This data would be transmitted to a central server. The central server would maintain historical data of wagon movement to enable tracing of wagon movements as well. A set of standard interfaces would be built into the central server for the use of different applications requiring the wagon track and trace data," the sources informed.

"Tagging of the wagons owned by Indian Railways and installation of trackside readers would be executed in phases. The scope of the present tender is a pilot project on one section of Indian Railways. Before going in for a full-fledged implementation effort on IR, the results of the pilot system will be intensively monitored and evaluated for a period of approximately two months to identify potential problem areas and formulate strategies to eliminate the identified problems," the sources added.

The CRIS will also explore extending the system in future with encoding information other than vehicle identification in a dynamic fashion onto the tag, integration of sensor-based solution and integration with a GIS system.

Train Passing through Chennai Central

Trains passing through Chennai Central

* Alleppey Dhanbad/Tatanagar Express
* Indore Trivandrum Ahilyanagari Express
* Gorakhpur-Trivandrum/Barauni-Ernakulam Raptisagar Express
* Trivandrum - Korba Express
* Coimbatore - Jaipur Express
* Ernakulam - Guwahati Express
* Trivandrum - Guwahati Express
* Bangalore - Guwahati Express
* Yeswantpur(Bangalore) - Rajendra Nagar(Patna) Sanghamitra Express
* Muzaffarpur - Yeswantpur Express
* Ernakulam - Patna Express
* Trivandrum - Howrah Express

Chennai Central

Trains originating at Chennai Central

* Chennai-New Delhi Grand Trunk Express: Train No:2615/2616
* Chennai-New Delhi Tamil Nadu Express: Train No:2621/2622
* Chennai-H. Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express: Train No:2433/2434
* Chennai-H. Nizamuddin Garib Rath: Train No:2611/2612
* Chennai-Dadar Express: Train No:2164/2163
* Chennai-Mumbai Mail: Train No:6010/6009
* Chennai-Mumbai Express: Train No:6012/6011
* Chennai-Howrah Coromandel Express: Train No:2842/2841
* Chennai-Howrah Mail: Train No:2604/2603
* Chennai-Coimbatore Intercity Express: Train No: 2679/2680 (dep 14:20)
* Chennai-Coimbatore Cheran Express: Train No: 2673/2674 (dep 22:10)
* Chennai-Coimbatore Kovai Express: Train No: 2675/2676 (dep 06:15)
* Chennai-Coimbatore (On Saturdays dep 22:20)
* Chennai-Mettupalayam Nilgiri Express: Train No: 2671/2672
* Chennai-Ahmedabad Navjivan Express: Train No: 2656/2655
* Chennai-Chappra Ganga Kaveri Express: Train No: 2669/2670
* Chennai-Tirupati Saptagiri Express: Train No: 6057/6058
* Chennai-Tirupati Express: Train No: 6053/6054
* Chennai-Tirupati Express: Train No: 6203/6204
* Chennai-Hyderabad Charminar Express: Train No: 2759/2760
* Chennai-Hyderabad Hyderabad Express: Train No: 2753/2754
* Chennai-Erode Yercaud Express: Train No: 6669/6670
* Chennai-Mangalore West Coast Express: Train No: 6627/6628
* Chennai-Mangalore Mail: Train No: 2601/2602
* Chennai-Mangalore Express: Train No: 2685/2686
* Chennai-Bangalore Brindavan Express: Train No: 2639/2640
* Chennai-Bangalore Lal Bagh Express: Train No: 2607/2608
* Chennai-Bangalore Bangalore Mail: Train No: 2657/2658
* Chennai-Bangalore Shatabdi Express: Train No: 2027/2028
* Chennai-Bangalore Express(afternoon): Train No: 2609/2610
* Chennai-Bangalore Express(Weekend only): Train No: 2691/2692
* Chennai-Mysore Shatabdi Express: Train No: 2007/2008
* Chennai-Mysore Kaveri Express: Train No: 6222/6221
* Chennai-Alleppey Alleppey Express: Train No: 6041/6042
* Chennai-Trivandrum Trivandrum Mail: Train No: 2623/2624
* Chennai-Trivandrum Express: Train No: 2695/2696
* Chennai-Trivandrum Express (Weekly): Train No: 2697/2698
* Chennai-Tirupattur Yelagiri Express: Train No: 6089/6090
* Chennai-Kakinada Circar Express: Train No: 6043/6044
* Chennai-Jammu Tawi Andaman Express: Train No: 6031/6032
* Chennai-Chandigarh/Dehradun Express: Train No: 2687/2688
* Chennai-Vijayawada Pinakini Express: Train No: 2712/2711
* Chennai-Vijayawada Jan Shatabdi Express: Train No: 2077/2078
* Chennai-Bhubaneshwar Express: Train No: 2829/2830
* Chennai-Jaipur Express: Train No: 2967/2968
* Chennai-Lucknow Express: Train No: 6093/6094
* Chennai-Vasco Express: Train No: 7311/7312
* Chennai-Hubli Express: Train No: 7313/7314
* Chennai-Nagercoil Express: Train No: 2689/2690

5 Different Classes of Accomodation - Indian Railway

Five different classes of accommodation can usually be found on Indian Railways trains. Here's an explanation of what can be expected in each class of accommodation on Indian trains, as well as some tips to help you choose the right class to meet your needs for a long distance train trip in India.

Second Class (SC)

dia’s poorest people travel in second class, as well as those who haven't been fortunate enough to secure a ticket in sleeper class. Reservations aren’t required and the concept of overcrowding really is taken to a new level. There’s sitting or standing room only, and any spare floor space is occupied by those willing to sleep on it. Most seats are simply wooden benches, although some trains do have padded benches the same as what are found in sleeper class.

The unreserved second class is not recommended for long distance train travel in India.

Sleeper Class (SL)

Most of India's middle class travel in sleeper class. Carriages are divided into open-plan compartments with six beds in each. The beds are stacked vertically in three tiers on either side of the compartments. During the day, the middle beds must be folded down flat against the compartment walls to allow passengers to sit on the lower beds. Two tiers of beds are also located outside the compartments, along the aisle. Fans on the carriage ceiling provide some cooling, and the windows have bars to keep intruders out as they are usually kept open.

There's no privacy in sleeper class, and it's noisy, crowded and dirty. However, some visitors do prefer to travel in this class so they can interact with Indians from all walks of life.


Three Tier Air Conditioned Class (3A)


Three Tier Air Conditioned Class, known as 3A, offers a significant step up in comfort and quietness. The carriages in 3A are laid out in the same manner as in sleeper class. However, the windows are covered with tinted glass that’s unable to be opened, and air-conditioning keeps the carriages cool. Sheets, pillows, blankets, and towels are provided to passengers.

Passengers tend to keep to themselves in 3A, but privacy is still severely lacking due to the open plan nature of the compartments. Most importantly, the carriages and bathrooms in usually remain much cleaner than those in sleeper class.

Two Tier Air Conditioned Class (2A)

Two Tier Air Conditioned Class, known as 2A, attracts India’s upper class travelers. There’s much more space, as there are only four beds in each compartment. The beds are stacked vertically in two tiers on either side. Just like in the other classes, there are also two tiers of beds along the aisle outside the compartments. Bedding and towels are also provided, the same as in 3A.

The best thing about 2A is the added benefit of privacy curtains on the entrance to each compartment, as well as across each of the beds that run along the aisle. The curtains are usually always kept drawn and this class of accommodation is quite devoid of any interaction.

First Class Air Conditioned (1A)

First Class Air Conditioned, known as 1A, is found only on the most popular inter-state train routes. The cost is around double that of 2A and is comparable to that of flying. Compartments have lockable doors, carpet and either two or four beds, stacked vertially in tiers. Sheets, pillows, blankets, and towels are also provided.

The only problem with 1A is that it's not possible to specify if you want accommodation in a two bed or four bed compartment when you book. However, couples are normally allocated accommodations in the two bed compartments, while singles and families are accommodated in the four bed compartments.

Indian Railways Travel Tip 1:

Travel in sleeper class is suitable for those on a tight budget, or those who don't mind roughing it or who want to experience the 'real' India. If comfort is more of a concern, then travel in 3A is a better option. For those who require space and/or privacy, 2A or 1A is recommended.

Indian Railways Travel Tip 2:

The beds are referred to as "berths". Where possible, always try to reserve an upper level one. They don't have to be folded down during the day like the middle level ones, or act as seats for all the passengers like the lower level ones.

The beds located along the aisle outside the main compartments (referred to as 'side berths') also offer a bit more personal space, and are less claustrophobic. However, they are enclosed at both ends and are shorter than the ones inside the compartments. As a result, they're not recommended for people who're taller than around 5 feet 10 inches.

The Luxury Trains of India

The Deccan Odyssey
Travel across the heart of India, with the Deccan Odyssey. Journey back in time and relive the luxury of a regal age on the royal luxury train. As the whistle of the Deccan Odyssey luxury train blows and its wheels roll along the track, you're set to start on an exciting luxury train journey, on a Deccan Odyssey India Tour.

Travel to beautiful beaches in Goa and Maharashtra, see the grand forts and palaces of the Marathas and the Osho Ashram in Pune on your Deccan Odyssey. Travel on a journey through beautiful scenery and heritage destinations, as you tour the historic sites of Ajanta, Ellora and Aurangabad. Your luxury train ride brings you back to the modern city of Mumbai, at the end of your magical Deccan Odyssey luxury train ride. See the cultural riches of the Deccan, on an unforgettable Deccan odyssey in India.

The weeklong Deccan Odyssey tour includes several exotic destinations covering the vast expanse of Maharashtra and a pinch of Goa - Mumbai, Ganapatipule, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Pune, Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora. Experience the finest and the best of train journeys of the world. The Deccan Odyssey is much more than a mere luxury train cruise. It's a 'classical odyssey' of time.

Rajasthan Palace on Wheels
Explore the princely state of Rajasthan- land of the great Maharajas, deserts, fortresses and lake palaces. The 7 night journey includes stops in Jaipur, Sawaii Madopur, Agra, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Chittaurgash.

India on Wheels
Mysterious, Beautiful and compelling- these luxury trains present India in a way never seen before. This comprehensive and exclusive 17 night tour across India includes the best of the Deccan and Rajasthan tours and more.

Rovos Rail

Visit India by Rail

Travelling within India

India by Rail

The Indian Railways network is incredibly extensive (the second largest in the world) and if you want to see the country unfold in front of you, this may be the best mode of travel. The rail network, of course, is more extensive than the air network and may take you to a greater number of places. The Railways operate nearly 7,800 passenger services a day over a route length of approximately 63,000 km.

You could opt for the luxury tourist trains such as Palace-on-Wheels and the Royal Orient, the superfast Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains of the older regular trains which are divided into 15 zones. Most trains run daily. However, tourist or other special holiday trains may have a limited schedule. Special holiday trains are also often run during holidays and festivals. There are also steamhauled 'toy-trains' in the hills which offer a quaint experience. You may wish to acquire a railways time-table book available at railway-station bookshops to know the exact train schedules.

The regular trains usually have the following classes of accommodation: a/c 1st class, a/c 2-tier sleeper, a/c 3-tier sleeper, a/c executive chair car, a/c chair car, 1st class, sleeper class and 2nd class.

Tourist Trains

Palace on Wheels
This air-conditioned train takes you on a week-long journey through Rajasthan in eight days (Delhi-to-Delhi) covering the historic cities of Jaipur, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur and Agra. Each coach has four coupes with wall-to-wall carpeting, a bar and two restaurant cars serving Continental, Indian and Rajasthani cuisine.

Each compartment has an attached bath with running hot/cold water and showers, built-in wardrobes, overhead and night lights, piped music, reading lights, etc. The furniture is specially created for the Palace-on-Wheels. At the end of each coach is a separate lounge where passangers can relax when they wish to move out of their bedrooms. Here they can unwind with a magazine, engage in conversation, or watch as the panorama of the Indian desert unfolds.

The train leaves at 22.45 hrs. every Wednesday from Delhi Cantonment Railway Station.

Royal Orient Express
A unique experience offered by Indian Railways, The Royal Orient takes you on a journey through two of India's most culturally fascinating states, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Operational between September and April, the trains leaves from Delhi Cantonment, halting at some of the 'royal' cities, including chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Palitana, Sasangir, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Accommodation is mainly in coupes and each carriage has a lounge, mini-bar, kitchenette and modern toilets with running hot water and cold water. The air-conditioned interior is furnished with a bar, multicuisine restaurants and a library.

Rajdhani Express
These superfast, air-conditioned, deluxe trains are some of India's best in terms of efficiency and service quality. The Rajdhani trains connect Delhi to Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Bhubhaneswar, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Abu Road, Ajmer amongst others and also operate on several other city pairs.

Shatabdi Express
These are superfast inter-city trains which have established a reputation in service and punctuality over the years. Snacks, meals, mineral water and reading material is supplied aboard the train which is included in the cost of the ticket. A shatabdi route connects a metro city with other major and secondary centres. The two classes on these trains are chair car and excutive class.

Toy Trains
These trains, operating on narrow-gauge tracks - hence the name toy trains - laid during the British days, link stations in the plains to hill stations and offer a laidback experience, where passengers can take in the diverse mountain scenery at leisure.

Fairy Queen
This is the oldest running locomotive in the world, which has earned it a place in the Guiness Book of Records. With a seating capacity of 50, the train does weekend trips from Delhi to Alwar - allowing tourists to experience the heritage hotel and tiger sanctuary at Sariska. The train does limited runs between October and February.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Travel To Mysore

Travel To Mysore Hotels of Mysore Make your Package for Mysore

Mysore is a major craft centre with numerous shops selling an incredible range of ivory, sandalwood, rosewood and teak carvings and furniture. Until independence, the city was the seat of the Maharajas of Mysore, a princely state covering most of Karnataka. The 10 day Dussehra festival is one of the major attractions, culminating in the long procession of caparisoned elephants, liveried retainers, cavalry. flower-bedecked images of deities, complete with bands and clouds of incense.

History
Mysore was the political capital of the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled the state of Karnataka for some 150 years till the independence of the country from the British. These kings were great patrons of art and culture and Mysore was the cultural capital of the south under the rule of the Wodeyars. The Wodeyars made the Dasara festival an event.

General Info
State: Karnataka
Area: 9 Sq. Kms.
Population: Approximately 22,81,653
Altitude: 957 meter above sea level.
Climate:
Summer : Maximum 35°C, Minimum 25o°C
Winter: Maximum 28°C , Minimum 14°C
Rainfall : June to October :80 Centimeters
Best Season :for visit September to April
Languages Spoken : English, Kannada and Hindi.

Shopping at Mysore Good buys from Mysore can include the following:
Shopping: Mysore Silk, Sandalwood & Handicrafts.
Best Shopping areas: Devaraj Urs Road, Sayyaji Rao Road, Ashoka Road & Dhanvantri Road.
Food Specialties: The famous Mysore Pak
Others: Mysore jasmine flowers, beetle leaves, Mysore Sandal Soap, Eeranagere brinjals.

Places of Interest

Chamundi Hills
This is a 1150m hill that is named after Goddess Durga, the consort of Lord Shiva, who vanquished the Demon Mahishasura. From the top of the hill, one can have a panoramic view of Mysore.

Maharaja's Palace
Built enormous and lavish in 1911 to replace the old palace in the fort that burned down, the Maharaja's Palace is an extravagance of domes, arches, turrets and sculptures. It is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. With vast pillared corridors and stately halls, carved ceilings, intricate mosaics, carving in ivory, stone and wood, life like paintings, antique royal weapons, this palace is a must in every visitor's itinerary.

Chamundeswari Temple
Built in the 12th century, a fine example of Dravidian temple architecture, Krishnaraja Wodeyar renovated the temple in 1827. The temple tower is 40m high with seven storeys. The deity is Goddess Durga. On the way to the temple, there is a monolithic statue of Nandi Bull and a morter statue of Mahishasura.

Srirangapatnam ( 15 km)
The island fortress of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan is picturesquely located in the River Cauvery. Within the fort walls that still carry the poignant scars of Tipu's last stand against the British, are a mosque and the Ranganathaswamy Temple. The 'Daria Daulat', Tipu's summer palace with a beautifully gilded and painted interior and the majestic 'Gumbaz' his mausoleum, are located close to the river.

Brindavan Gardens (19 km)
The splendidly planned ornamental gardens at the Krishnarajasagar Dam are a must see for visitors, Its fine terraced lawns and swirling fountains are illuminated over the weekend to give it a fairy tale quality.

St. Philomena's Church
This beautiful Cathedral was built in 1956 and is one of the largest churches in the country. It has been built in the Gothic style with beautiful stain glass windows and lofty towers. The illuminated church in the evening is a wonderful site not to be missed.

Excursions Of Mysore Hotels of Mysore Make your Package for Mysore

Somnathpur (35 km)
The star shaped temple at Somnathpur is a splendid example of Hoysala architecture. It is embellished with a profusion of finely sculpted friezes and panels. The temple is well preserved and not to be missed.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve (80 km)
This Tiger Reserve has open forests and facilities for viewing wildlife from elephant back.

Nagarhole National Park (90 km)
A fine wildlife reserve that is within easy reach of Mysore. Its dense deciduous forests are the habitat of the tiger, leopard, gaur, elephant, sambar, chital or the spotted deer, wild boar, pangolin, langur, macaques and about 250 species of birds, including the magnificent Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Great Black Woodpecker. There are excellent facilities for visitors to stay at the Kabini River Lodge and for viewing wildlife.

Mysore Celebrates Regional, National and Religious Festivals with pomp like any Other Part of the Country.

Dasara Festival
Mysore is synonymous with Dasara celebrations. Several religious, cultural and other programmes mark the 10-day-long celebrations, which fall generally in the months of September-October, depending on the auspicious days of the Hindu calendar. Though the nine-day Navaratri and the 10th day celebration of Vijaya Dasami have lost their original royal grandeur, the celebrations still draw huge crowds. Tourists from India and abroad come to Mysore to see the various tourist attractions and witness the special programmes arranged during the 10-day festival and in particular the last day's Dasara procession.
On all the ten days, the Mysore Palace is illuminated and renowned musicians of the State and outside give performances in front of the Palace. The Palace is also thrown open to the visitors and the royal throne is displayed. During the nine days, the State Government arranges music, dance, folk dance, doll shows, wrestling and sports competitions.

Yugadi
The Kannadiga new year day of Yugadi that falls on the second half of March or early April is celebrated with devotion and delight.Mysore also celebrates the national festivals of Independence Day, the republic day and the birthday of Gandhiji. Religious festivals like Makara Samkramana, Sri Ramanavami, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Deepavali, Christmas, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha etc. are celebrated in harmony.


By Road : Mysore is located 139 Kms. to the south west of Bangalore. The state highway that connects the two cities could provide a pleasant ride through rustic country side. A bus or car ride from Bangalore would take approximately 3 hours. Seagull Travels has 4 packages covering Mysore & other places.

By Air : The nearest airport is Bangalore (140 km).

By Rail : Mysore is again connected with many trains to Bangalore. Also the prestigious luxury train, Shatabdi Express connects it to Madras.

Irugur Line - Coimbatore

Irugur line-doubling project continues to remain a dream though 10 years have passed since it was included in the Railway Budget of 1996-1997.

The single railway line between the Coimbatore Junction and Irugur is a bottleneck affecting timely operation of trains and introduction of new services. Trains entering Coimbatore will either be held up at Irugur or have to move at snail's pace because of the single line.

Railway authorities are turning down requests for new trains citing the pathway congestion.

Important trains


Three pairs of important trains are being operated via Podanur and Irugur skipping Coimbatore and any schedule for a special or a new train will automatically skip Coimbatore.

While budgetary allocations proved to be inadequate all along, now teething troubles are derailing the completion of the project.

The project seems to suffer from want of coordination between various Central and State Government departments, say sources.

In the last 10 years, railways had completed only 2.6 km line conversion between the Coimbatore Junction and the North. It has helped in giving a little breathing space for the Coimbtore Junction when there are more outgoing and incoming trains.

Cost escalation


Of the estimated cost of Rs. 38.66 crore (including cost escalation over the last few years), the railways has so far allotted Rs. 24.49 crore, say highly placed railway sources. The project is not progressing owing to hitches in handing over of 1.365 hectares by the State Government.

Unresolved disputes over the issue of sharing the cost of over bridges at two places - on Sathyamangalam Road (near Textool) and on Avanashi Road near Hope College - are also delaying the project.

Railways, as per the existing norms, is willing to foot the cost involved in replacing the existing structure whereas the Highways authorities want both two-lane bridges replaced with six-lane bridges.

Railways had made it clear that it would demolish the existing structure for widening the pathway and construct another. But the cost of increased lanes would have to be borne by the Highways. Talks between officials and Ministers were in the final stages.

Approval


The revised General Agreement Drawing (GAD) has been sent to the National/State Highways for approval. Railway authorities are now going slow on other works since the money invested in rest of the incomplete work will become a dead investment.

While no time limit is fixed for completing the project at the time of including it in the budget proposal, the railway authorities are expecting to complete it by 2008. The secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, K. Kathirmathiyon, has asked the Chief Minister to sort out the issues since Governments of consensus are in power both at the State and the Centre.

Simply Tamilnadu

Tamil Nadu
State Capital:Chennai
Area ('000 sq. km):130
Population ('000s in 1991): 55,859
Principal Language: Tamil

The places of tourist interest in the state are Chennai, the beautiful capital city; Mamallapuram, the beach resort; Kanchipuram, the land of 1000 temples; Madurai famous for the Meenakshi temple; Rameshwaram, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur, the temple trio; the charming hill resorts of Yercaud, Ootacamund and Kodaikanal and Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, renowned for its fantastic sunrise and sunset

The state of Tamil Nadu is divided into 26 Administrative Districts which in turn are further bifurcated into smaller divisions and subdivisions including a total of 17,272 villages. The state Capital, Madras now renamed as Chennai is the fourth largest city in the Indian sub-continent. It extends over an area of 174 Sq.km.

The history of Tamil Nadu dates back to the time the Dravidians had moved south, following the advent of Aryans in the north. Historically, South India consisted of four main Dravidian Kingdoms, the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas (who ruled over what is now Tamil Nadu) and the Chalukyas. The Muslim invasion of the South in the 14th century caused a retaliatory reaction from the Hindus, who rallied to build a strong new kingdom, with its capital at Vijaynagar. On independence, the Madras province, as the south was known then, was divided on a linguistic basis into states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A mutual exchange of certain areas between Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Malabar and Kasargod to Kerala; Shencotta and Kanyakumari from Kerala) was undertaken according to the State Reorganisation Act, following which Madras adopted a new name, Tamil Nadu.

Society and culture:
The people of Tamil Nadu lead by and large, relaxed lifestyles. Tamils have deep interest in music, dance and literature. Dance forms like Bharanatyam and various forms of music, including Carnatic Music, have flourished here for centures. Festivals are a daily feature in this region. Navaratri or Dussehra (September/October), Deepavali (October/ November), Karthika (November/December) and Pongal (January ) are the popular ones. Handicrafts include the most intricately carved designes in wood, stone and metal. The exquisitely carved Bronze and Tanjore plate deserve special mention here.

The people of the state speak Tamil language. But of late owing to immigrants from other states into the urban centres of the state, there has been a discernible increase in the number of languages spoken in the state. Today several languages such as Telegu, Malayalam, Hindi and other Indian languages are being spoken in the state. Other than these languages, English is spoken by the educated in most parts of the state. Tamil Nadu has a literacy rate of 62.66 per cent with the male literacy rate being 63.78 per cent and the female literacy rate being 44.60 per cent.

Cuisines:
Tamils are lovers of good food. Their favourite cuisines invariably consist of idly (steamed rice cakes), dosai (a pancake made from a batter of rice) and lentils crisp fried on a pan, vada (deep fried doughnuts made from a batter of lentils), pongal (a mish mash of rice and lentils boiled together and seasoned with ghee, cashew nuts, pepper and cummin seed), uppuma (cooked semolina seasoned in oil with mustard, pepper, cummin seed and dry lentils.) Lunch or meals consists of cooked rice served with an array of vegetable dishes, sambar, chutneys, rasam (a hot broth made with tamarind juice and pepper) and curd (yogurt).

Festival:
A unique festival of Carnatic music, the Thyagaraja festival is held annually in January at Thiruvariyar, the birth place of famous singer poet Thyagaraja, where one can witness the amazing spectacle of mass performance, in total harmony and rhythm.

Diwali

Deepavali literally means a row of lights. The memories of many Deepavalis run through my mind as the festival heralds its arrival with the glitter and glitz that is entirely commercial permeating the city.

My earliest memories of Deepavali are of my brothers buying crackers. The youngest would sit patiently and unravel the plaited string of the tiny red and green oosi pattasu (needle-like) crackers. The larger Red Fort crackers, red in colour, were also treated to the dismemberment because, unlike the other two siblings, he did not believe in bursting the string at one go. He would light a candle and sit on the flight of stairs leading up to our first floor apartment. My cousin would join him, typically with his tongue sticking out, patiently bursting the crackers one by one. Some would not burst and were picked up and preserved for special attention. The next morning such pieces met their final fate -- they would be folded and then lit at the fold causing them to fizzle out with a mild shower of sparks.

The other brothers, meanwhile, would burst all their crackers at one go and would exhaust their quota and scrounge around for largesse from various members of the family. I would be made to stay at a distance at the top of the stairs as the smoke would start off my wheezing. Then the flowerpots would be lit. I would be given a long stick to hold the Roman candle or kambi mathappus -- the phuljadi on thin wires --.to protect me from the stinging flying sparks. The atom bombs were lit carefully with a long stick by my mama (Uncle) who would have an air of satisfaction after it went off with a loud bang. Any burns or minor accidents were laid at his door and he, poor guy, would be answerable for a clutch of nephews and nieces. It was another matter that any scolding he received was just water off a duck's back. He was the undisputed leader and the whole street was under the command of Mani mama.

The evening before Diwali the house would be redolent with the smell of sweetmeats and savouries like mixture, mysore pak, badurshah, chocolate cake, thirattipaal (kova) and ribbon pakodas. After an early dinner, my mother would make that glorious concoction called Diwali marundu or medicine that helps with digestion for the next few days, given the rich diet and wet weather. The smell of the Indian herbs, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, cardomom, honey, gur and ghee cooked to a syrupy lehiam is forever associated with the festival.

Rains and aipasi or Aswini month go together in the South and many Deepavalis have been damp squibs with the fireworks going limp with the moisture from the atmosphere. The children would nag the parents to buy the crackers in advance so that the fireworks could be dried in the sun and kept ready for bursting on the festival day. Some gullible parents would fall into the trap, not realising that the request was a camouflage for bursting crackers well before the actual festival.

When the crackers had to be burst as per sampradayam (custom or tradition) on the festival day, parents were dragged off to cracker shops that would have sprung up overnight in each locality on the eve of the festival, for a repeat replenishing of inventory. (Maybe that's why in the South crackers are hoarded from Deepavali and burst on Karthik Purnima when lamps are lit and the weather is more clement.) Many parents, of course, under the guise of protecting their offspring from accidents, take upon themselves the pleasant duty of having a go at the crackers, satisfying their childhood memories.

The actual celebration is the oil bath before sunrise on Narakachaturdasi. My mother would wake up first and arrange all the new clothes for the various members of the family in the puja room. A sweet and savoury and a bowl of marundu or lehiam was kept ready. Til (sesame) oil, heated and seasoned with curry leaves, whole pepper and jeera was also kept ready. By turns, all the family members would sit on a wooden plank in front of the gods. Amma would put three dabs of oil on the top of the head (with great protests from the children), a dab on each cheek and send us off by turns for an oil bath with shikakai. I am allergic to the strong smell of shikakai, so the substitute was chana dal to wash away the greasiness of the oil.

In my childhood we had this huge copper boiler on the terrace near the bathroom stoked with firewood. Water was transferred from this into brass (later aluminium) buckets, taken into the bathroom and mixed with cold water from the taps. In many houses the boiler was kept inside the bathroom and the smoky smell would permeate into our very skin and clothes.

After the bath we would wear our new clothes and eat a spoonful of the lehiam followed by bakshanam. The next item on the agenda was bursting crackers. The srrrrr of the silk saris, paavadais and the veshtis would add to the glorious feeling of celebration. Silk clothing was a compulsory part of the Deepavali scene. Today, many people wear substitutes for silk. The heavy Kanjeevaram has given way to Mysore silks, Daccai, silk-cotton weaves, poly cottons and a whole range of mill saris under ubiquitous names like Poonam and Kunwar. The paavadai / daavani (the long skirt and half sari) that was shunned as regional and parochial has made a grand reentry into fashion and the nine yards sari too has regained its ethnic popularity for festival wearing. For convenience and daily wear, the salwar kameez reigns supreme.

Later in the morning we would arrange the current year's sweetmeats and distribute it to the neighbours. Relatives would visit us to get the blessings of my grandmother and my parents. We, in our turn, would visit others to do Deepavali namaskarams and were rewarded with cash. Newly wedded couples were given much respect and they celebrated their first Deepavali with lot of gifts. The diamond ring or gold chain for the maapillai was de rigour. The clan gathered for Deepavali lunch to celebrate the festival. The blessing bestowed on the couples was usually 'let the next Deepavali be celebrated with a baby'. My thalai (first) Deepavali was solo as my husband was away in foreign lands. Strangely, my children too have had their thalai Deepavalis away from us and the traditional celebrations.

The North Indian concept of five-day Deepavali celebrations was also part of my childhood. We had great Gujarati and UP friends. We celebrated Dhan Teras, Lakshmi Puja and Bhai Bheej with them. Our Gujarati friends had this elaborate puja at home and in their shops late in the evening when the new account books were opened. Years later, my carpenter introduced me to the Viswakarma puja that was a Ganga kinarewala custom. This puja is done in the South on the tenth day of Dussera.

In my own household, my memories of the festival are of battling with the chakli machine to make mixture, mullu murukku, thenkuzhal, and other sweetmeats. The barfi made of coconut was a hit-or-miss affair and the mysore pak would either become 'rockpak' or chana dal halwa. Most often it would end up as balls of fried besan as I would not get the correct consistency that would make it diamond shaped.

I soon gave up on the 'cake scene' and graduated to making 'somasis' or gujjias, the half moon fried stuffed puris. This was made easier by the kind donation of a brass pastry shell cutter by a Delhi friend. The introduction of Gits Gulab Jamun Mixes solved the problem further. The best part was coming back to India and ordering the sweets from professional cooks. I also began a tradition of making dahi wadas on Deepavali day to serve to visitors who were sick of the traditional sweetmeats by then. Till today most people enjoy the cool snack on a harried day.

There is a story I would like to share about my mixture (savoury). My friend Vasantha and I would make the mixture and exchange a container each. My husband would swear that Vasantha's mixture was better and her husband would say that my mixture was tastier. The children of course benefitted from both varieties. No two mixtures ever tastes the same as each family has a tradition about what goes into it. Originally it started off as a concoction of all leftover savouries like sev, boondi, poha, etc. The flavours were enhanced with peanuts, cashew and a good seasoning with mustard, chillies and hing. The popularity of the dish has made it a compulsory item in most households at Deepavali time.

The plates of sweetmeats that were brought to us by relatives and friends were analysed and graded according to content, taste and presentation. Of course during the course of the day all sweetmeats would be dumped into one container and would lose their origins. The amassed sweets were soon distributed with money packets to postmen, corporation cleaners, watchmen, etc who came for Diwali bakshees.

Mumbai introduced us to dry fruit gifts. Boxes would arrive and my husband would promptly send them back or distribute them among the watchmen and workers in the office. Sometimes the empty boxes would be left behind. Over the years I saw the plain cardboard boxes give way to plastic trays and stainless steel containers with compartments to hold multiple items.

Today the market is flooded with crystal and cut glass containers, silver and EPNS containers full of chocolates and expensive goodies that are being grabbed by the corporate junta to give away for favours in return. Professionals are being hired to pack and present sweets and fruits attractively for the season. Even containers are made with a particular theme. Manufacturers like Cadbury and Britannia present chocolates and biscuits in special boxes, jars and trays to grab the eye of the consumer.

The concept of baskets of fruits, and hampers of jams, cheese, biscuits, etc entered the scene in the eighties. We would promptly send these back to the donor or dispatch them to orphanages. In government colonies in Malabar Hills, we have seen all kinds of goods arriving for the officers from various donors. These would range from flowers, fruits and hampers with liquor coyly tucked away, to boxes containing silver and clothes, including readymade garments. Diwali is a time for commercial gifting in Mumbai. But last year I was in Delhi and got a rude shock. The expensive and frenzied gift scene is shocking if not scandalous.

The noise of crackers of course has gone up over the years. In closed areas, with high-rise buildings located cheek by jowl, the continuous sound of twenty to thirty minutes of a string of crackers creates such a cacophony that people can be driven to violence. The diyas too have changed from little earthen lamps to candles, decorative terracotta lamps with Ganeshas and Lakshmis, painted and gilded multiple lamps and electric string lights.

The last few years has seen a change in the attitudes of the people. Many families abstain from ostentation. Money, sweets, clothes are donated to organisations like Ramakrishna Mission Boys Home, Sivananda Ashram, Udavum Karangal, CRY, mobile creches and orphanages. Children have joined together in many schools to vow against crackers as children are used in the cracker manufacturing units, who usually end up with maimed and mutilated hands and eyes. The government too has done its bit by stringently applying rules to control the decibel level and has set time limits for bursting crackers.

A famous shop in Mumbai has introduced the Diwali version of Santa as Chacha Deepak who distributes toys and presents to children coming to their chain of stores. The idea though has not caught up. Malls and shopping centres all over the country are busy enticing the consumer with offers of fabulous prizes. Even TV channels run special Deepavali programmes with the telecast of new movies on TV and release of new movies in theatres attracting the holiday crowds. The trains are full, the planes nearly running to capacity and everybody is going home to celebrate the festival. It is a time of family bonding.

A memorable Diwali was the one we spent in Mauritius when a Tamil padre, Brother Antony, specially sent for us. He wanted me to draw the traditional ma kolam (rangoli) in the church for the special Deepavali service. He said that the festival is one of lights, a celebration of the victory of good over evil. That made it a universal celebration for him. He distributed laddoos and badurshah, mixture and murukku after the service. In today's world of destruction and mayhem that is the Deepavali we should celebrate. Let us light lamps and let it glow in our lives to dispel the darkness of gloom.