DudhSagar Falls (13)

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DudhSagar in Hindi means Milky Ocean. And if you want to check that out yourself, you must be there to witness the majesty with which it flows. This falls reminds me of the treasures that nature tries to hide from man and keeps it in such a secret corner that only the brave can reach it.

DudhSagar is around 14kms from Castle Rock on the way to Kulem, a wonderful trek on track with the dense forest that surrounds you and if you are lucky enough you get to see some leopards and bears. The moment you reach the advance starter of Castle Rock station, a chill runs down your spine looking at the gradient which is 1:24. The engine slowly takes the first left curve, you cross the rangers bungalow and you are amidst the wild and from then it’s a journey unforgettable.

The wonderful man made tunnels and bridges and the lovely creeks through which forms the mini falls here and there. Come rainy season and its bliss to be there in that route. You just keep watching the scenery on your left and right and suddenly without a clue DudhSagar captures the attention of all those awake and dead in the train. And those who woke from their sleep will remember that sight forever and will say “it was worth waking up”.

If you wish to trek, you can start from Castle Rock. It wouldn’t be a jungle trek, but it’s a trek on the railway track walking through the tunnels and bridges and enjoying the beauty that’s untouched. It would take around five hours from Castle Rock and then on arrival at DudhSagar you just jump into the water at the base of the falls.

If you are as adventurous as me, you can climb the falls and stand there on the top and say “awesome”. Or just go underneath the bridge and relax in the water with some shade from the trees. You can hang around until evening and take a train either towards Castle Rock or Kulem as the train frequency is good, especially the goods train.

When you have worked as hard as you could, a shower at DudhSagar revitalizes the strength in you and keeps you refreshed until your next visit.

Castle Rock - love at first sight (12)

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Life’s a journey and enroute you fall in love many a times with many a things and Castle Rock is one such destination which will hold you so tight with its serene beauty and untouched soul that you don’t want to come of that imprisonment.

Castle Rock is a small beautiful village which forms the border between the states Karnataka and Goa. The inhabitants are mostly families of railway men and forest guards. Surrounded by mountains and thick forest with a lot of streams that run through the forest, Castle Rock would be anybody’s love at first sight.

I was fortunate to have spent some wonderful moments of my life here. The railway station is one of the remains of the British establishment. You will also find a turn table for steam engines here.

A little bit of history here – British had the routes until Castle Rock and from Castle Rock they would transport all the goods by land to the port at Goa. Then one day they met this shepherd who showed them the route through the mountains to Kulem in Goa and on arrival at Kulem they shot the poor shepherd. And from then, they started laying the railway lines from Castle Rock to Kulem. They have left behind wonderful tunnels and bridges which are still healthy and would run another hundred years. The gradient at the start of the station from Castle rock to Kulem is 1:24, the steepest in the Indian Railways.

Opposite to the railway station you will find a building made of small bricks which is a monument in ruins and once upon a time owned by the Portuguese. Any train that would come from Goa to Karnataka will be taken into this building with only the entry and exit doors and the whole train would be searched for smuggling of gold. Offenders were shot if they tried to escape. And rumors have it that the jungle between Kulem and Castle Rock still has gold bricks thrown by smugglers and which they could not find again. This could be true because you can see a couple of trains in the valley which has not been restored (its mission impossible to take any machinery into the valley with the thick vegetation that the mountains possess).

Every season brings about a change in the weather and here it’s not only the weather it also gifts a new dress to nature. Leaves that turn from green to red to brown, the path of the streams that get dried and then runs as if in a race and the whole mountain that takes on a camouflage. Winter is the best of all that I have enjoyed here. The fog would be so thick that an object that is just two meters away will not be visible. When you stand at the door of the running train, the breeze that kisses your cheek and the mist that you feel on your skin and the cold pain that you experience when you do some mechanical work on the train are all reminders of how beautiful life is when you are a part of nature.

At the entrance to the Castle Rock is the Turva River and I shall cherish the moments spent here bathing or just watching it flow. I have had the best Jack fruit cutting it off myself from the tree, the best curds that had to be cut with a knife.

To visit Castle Rock you can catch a goods train or any passenger from Londa and you can get to Londa by any train that’s running from Hubli to Vasco or Hubli to Belgaum. Best place to trek and get lost in the wilderness. I wish I had a camera when I was in railways to capture all of Castle Rocks emotions.

I shall visit this place before death just to say “I love you Castle Rock “.

Life at TGT - Tinaighat (11)

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Iron ore from Toranagal and Bellary mines get loaded to train no. TGT SPL and is on a wild run to reach it’s destination – Vasco port where it gets loaded to the ship bound abroad. This is the only goods train that runs on top priority and leaves a red trail even to the extent of stopping an express at the crossing.

There is the ship at Vasco in Goa waiting to get loaded with the red dust which is worth crores and runs the lives of thousands of families. For the running staff it’s a matter of pride to be driving the iron ore special which is bound for Vasco directly or to Tinaighat which is a station located between Londa and Castle Rock.

This is a station where you see activity day and night, in rain and in shine. There’s no room for errors and leisure and there’s no time to wipe the sweat off your face whether it be an old man, a woman or a child. These are mostly laborers from Andhra Pradesh and northern Karnataka. Because of the number of trains that arrive at Vasco and the shortage of lines and staff, railways don’t want any delay in the shipment of the ore and hence the pit stop called Tinaighat. The trains destined to Vasco are terminated here and the iron ore gets unloaded here at Tinaighat and from Tinaighat to Vasco it goes by Trucks.

As soon as the train reaches Tinaighat station the laborers run towards the train and in groups of four or five take on each vehicle. The total load that has to be unloaded is 5,500 Tons and efficiency being at its best the train gets unloaded in approximately 90 minutes. One has to see the action of the shovels which is synchronous and also the flow of sweat and the movement of the muscles which will leave you spell bound.

Sometimes it would make you sad to see the children and women in that laborious process, but you know it’s survival and people have chosen the hard way rather than turning to some anti-social activity. When they carry the pride of being honest and hard working there is no room for softness and you just salute them for the hard work they do.

Whenever I got an opportunity I would speak to them, listen intently to the narration of the life in the huts and most importantly about their health. It was really surprising that some of them had worked for about ten years loading and unloading the ore and they don’t remember the last time they fell ill or visited a doctor.

Life is really not about repenting or cursing your fate that HE chose you to play in the dust day in and out… It’s about the gratitude that HE chose you because you were the best and HE built you out of that clay that hasn’t heard of any disease.

My sincere thanks and regards to all those that work in Tinaighat, who shared their experiences with me and taught the courage that a man should possess when he walks alone in the wild.

Food and the Bone Mill Odor (10)

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Behind the Londa Railway Station at the UBL end is the famous bone mill. To the left of the station is the bone mill, adjacent to that are the paddy fields and on the right side of the railway track is a stream. Sometimes we had to wait at UBL end of Londa station for crossing or just detention which would extend to long hours.

Having confirmed with the station master we slowly open the Tiffin box and begin our dinner in silence. The pungent odor of the bone mill is something that everyone has to smell one day and during those initial days I was about to throw up if someone asked me to have my food there. Days passed and there was no option but to gulp down irrespective of how the place was.

Sometimes I would put my head outside the window and look at life near the bone mill, you can see the workers carrying baskets filled with bones on their head, crows, eagles, vultures feeding on the heap of bones and now and then a dog that would steal the biggest bone and bring it over to the track. All this made little impact on the people who lived in the quarters nearby or the villagers who lived in and around the bone mill. The odor of the mill would travel to more than a kilometer’s distance in winter.

I certainly am not complaining here about the bone mill but this was one of those experiences which taught me to respect food because when you’re hungry and you feel the cramps in your stomach, the place, the smell and the stink really doesn’t come to your notice and when you’re done with your food all that you think about is – how do the people working in the mill eat at the same spot they work in.

It’s all about what you think is imperfect and insane in the world because the same thing is perfect and sane in the same world.

Higginbothams and the corner bench at the Station (9)

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Higginbothams – name of the book stall at the stations on South Central Railway.

When I had to wait for the train to arrive at Hubli or Londa or Belgaum, I would walk to Higginbothams and pick up a book that would keep me engaged for a couple of days.

It would be so much fun to sit on the engine at a crossing or on an empty platform bench, hold that treasure in your hand and forget the world until you hear the whistle blow or the station speaker call out the name of the train which is arriving or departing.

On some evenings when I knew that was rest was guaranteed I would walk with a book in my hand to the station and spend the evening reading and observing life that always seemed so slow when compared to that of mine.

It’s on the railway platforms that life shows you so many colors, so many moods, so many emotions and so many lessons which I always wished were taught to me in my school. One was on a journey for his honeymoon and the other was going for a funeral. One was leaving his home in search of opportunities and the other was running away from responsibilities. One had come to bid good bye to a beloved and the other had come to welcome his love. One carried the load that his strength would permit and the other swung his hands free. One would laugh throughout the journey and the other would sit on the footboard gazing at the silent sky. One would walk like he owns the world and the other would walk like he doesn’t care who owns the world.

I read a great deal about Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azaad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Chatrapati Sivaji, Swami Vivekananda and Adolf Hitler. Every time I read them they gave a new insight and some times intoxicated my brain so hard that I fell asleep on the bench itself.

Every time I fell, I only learnt to stand up more firmly and determined that I will succeed in the exams that life can throw at me. It was then I set this constant reminder “know what’s more than enough for you before you can ask for more”.

Muddy boots and wet sandbox (8)

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Let me give a little technical background here – Any Loco will have two sand boxes attached to the engine and dry free flowing sand is filled during rainy season so as to avoid wheel skidding. It is operated by pneumatic pressure by the button on the control stand. Sand is injected between the wheel and the rail and with that friction the wheel doesn’t skid instead moves forward. Sometimes when it is raining heavily and in the rain when sand is filled, it gets wet and forms blocks of sand which will not flow through the pipe and that is when it’s a memorable pain for the spinal chord.

It was a trip from Alnawar (LWR) to Ambevadi (AVA) a distance of about 20kms.This route is one train system where until the train has returned from AVA to LWR no other train will be sent in the same route and also it’s a side line. East Coast Paper Mill is located in Ambevadi, the forest range that belongs to Dandeli. Trains carry bamboo and other necessary raw material to the paper mill and from the mill the trains transport finished paper products.

Permanent speed restriction while going to AVA is 25kmph and on return its 30kmph.The road is steep and is a ghat section.

It was around 2200 Hrs when we departed from AVA. The weather was cloudy and the wind was chilling. We had 40 vehicles to carry; I suggested that we carry it in two halves so that we won’t experience any difficulty enroute. But the Driver Mr.S.B.Bhavikatti was confident or rather over confident that the WDM2 Loco would pull that load uphill.

We started with all his prayers to the Gods that he believed in and that which he kept on the control stand. It would have been 3kms that we had crossed and it started raining cats and dogs in the section. For another 2kms he used up all the sand even when it was not required. The sandboxes were empty or clogged when we had crossed 5kms and it was still raining heavily.

I helped myself with some tobacco and had kept the window open to let the breeze hit my face. The engine experienced a jerk and when I put my head out of the window noticed sparks flying of the loco wheels. Immediately opened the extra sand bag stored inside the loco and took out my Tiffin box and filled it with sand. I forced opened the door and the next minute I was running next to the track putting sand on the rail. This took the wheel off the skid and it started moving slowly, but the section was so rough that the horse power of the WDM2 was no good to haul the load. I took out my dagger and pierced a hole at the bottom of the sand bag. With all the strength I held the bar with my right hand and holding the bag in my left stood on the foot board letting sand flow on to the rail. This exercise continued for nearly 12kms in the middle of the night.

Finally we arrived at LWR and from there w headed to UBL. On reaching UBL, I thanked Mr.Bhavikatti for his stupidity and on reaching home, lay dead on the floor.

When I woke up, for a moment I felt I had lost sensation of my back and when I tried hard to wake up from the floor, it was an electric shock that ran through my spine and I collapsed on the floor. My fried Seshagiri helped me sit with my back leaning on the wall and immediately applied Iodex and Moov and I sat there half dead and was not quite sure what had happened to my back.

Thought of calling sick to work that day but my instincts said “don’t escape” and sincerely I reported on time for the next train that I was booked.

Long Hours on Track (7)

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First experience of long hour’s duty- on 18th Mar 2003 I was booked for Train No. SEJ to Hospet (HPT) at 2215 Hrs,while checking the engine I broke MR1 drain coc of WDM2 and the train was detained for 4hrs at the shed. I arrived at Hospet at 1130 Hrs on 19th Mar. The same night I was booked for LE/Bullet at 2000 hrs to UBL and I arrived at UBL at 0115Hrs on 20th Mar and continued duty for crane spl. to Gadag (GDG).It was all about loading and unloading of MG coaches and the work continued till 2100 Hrs.

I slept on the platform in peace and woke up at 0530 Hrs on 21st Mar and continued duty and finally arrived back at UBL at 0000 Hrs on 22nd Mar. I had worked 52 Hrs on this trip.

This memorable trip laid the foundation for many such trips where I worked for long hours and on another instance working with water spl. I had achieved my all time highest of 63 Hours on duty.

Lessons learnt while working for long hours :-
- Eat anything that you get and don’t smell your food before you eat (in summer rice and dhal in the Tiffin would have started to decay within 4hours of filling it).
- Sleep is not the most important thing in life (public service is of utmost importance).
- Don’t look at your watch, because looking at it will not get you relief.
- Don’t complain of pains and aches (everyone has it), learn to get a kick out of it.

Settling in Hubli (6)

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On January 22nd 2003 I reached Hubli at 1230 Hrs. Myself,Seshagiri Rao and Subba Rao took a room in Modern Lodge and went to DPO’s office but we were asked to come tomorrow.

On 23rd Jan, we filled the Service Record and we were divided into four groups and my group was under the guidance of Mr.H.I.Kallimani.

On 24th Jan exactly at 0000 hrs we started the first handling (Handling is the term used for on the job training, this is very important as this is the only time you get to learn the signals and the road for all the routes) on the Train SVM77 heading to Castle Rock. The first time when you are in action, you feel like the world is moving around you but you are constant. The first handling with Driver Daffedar was informative as he mentioned the position and gradient of the signal and the track. We returned to UBL (Station code for Hubli) with Driver Siddique.

On my return it was a real surprise to see that Seshagiri and Subba Rao had shifted the entire luggage to our rented house at Chalukya Nagar.Now the room mates were Seshagiri, Subba Rao, Venkataramana and Parashuram. Handling continued and on 27th Jan myself and Seshagiri purchased provisions and also made 4 duplicate keys for our house.

On 28th Jan, I collected the South Central Railway Identity Card which is a possession in my collection now. Mr.Kallimani was kind enough to sanction leave and I left to Bangalore by Ranichennamma at 2230 Hrs.

From 29th Jan to 03rd Feb I was at home, catching up with friends and relatives. In such a short span these are the folks that I met – Mr. Philips who was my employer when I left for Railways. Sridhar with whom I played a match of caroms, he lost this time too. Mr.Selvaraj from Shivamani industries in Jalahalli.Relatives in Mathikere and BEL, relatives in Vijayapura and KR puram.MICO friend Guru Prasad, School friends Reshmi,Arathi,Mangala and Pushpalatha. (Today I’m in Bangalore and hardly meet anyone owing to the busy schedules that each one of us have).

By 8th Feb 2003 we had all that a house needs which included a gas stove, all utensils and most importantly a Tiffin carrier for the trip.

On 11th Feb 2003 I received my second stipend of 4610/-. On 21st Feb 2003 we had a viva with the ADME at Hubli.

On 1st Mar 2003, I got the ZTC results – 4th Rank with 84% Marks. On 2nd Mar 2003 I was in Bangalore for a day.

On 3rd Mar 2003 I was in Hubli again and I gave my Citizen watch for service. My uncle Srinivasan had presented this watch to me when I stood 1st in my 7th Standard public exam. And since September 2007 I hadn’t worn a watch.

On 4th Mar 2003 we filled the bio-data at DPO’s office and I signed a LIC policy (Jeevan Anand 1,00,000) which I took from Mr.Pulliah (He was the one who got us the rented house and this was an obligation)

On 5th Mar 2003 , I went to Combined Crew Booking lobby and was informed that the independent duty may be booked anytime.

On 6th Mar 2003 I prepared small charts that would help me in identifying the signals and the stations.

On 7th Mar 2003 at 0730 Hrs my independent duty with Driver A.S.Lazarus carrying the Train SVM-10 to Castle Rock (CLR). CLR arrival was 1955 hrs

Thus started the job as a Diesel Assistant in South Central Railways working for Hubli Division.

Today's fortune 24/10/2008: A thrilling time is in your immediate future

Was logged in to Orkut and found this on Today’s fortune and thought let me spend some time in analyzing my present status and where I might head in the near future.Alright,let me try to narrow it down personal, professional and others.

Professional Status: Being a Team Manager for AOL tech process, I’m satisfied with what I’m doing, lot of learning’s everyday, new challenges that I encounter all the time, responsibilities that increase all the time and the pay satisfactory.

Would I want to change? NO, unless I get a 35-40% hike on my present pay.

Personal Status: Enjoying life as a bachelor, no quarrels with anybody in the family. Would like to spend all the time with my nephew Skanda , happy spending money on things that interest me, No commitments to burden me, happy with the investments made and great lessons learnt from the past relationships. Handful of friends whom I trust and wouldn’t want anymore.

Would I want to change? YES, only dissatisfaction in the family (though not with me)-I’m still alone. Have authorized my parents to look for some one who is adventurous and speaks her heart out. I would love to hunt myself, but haven’t had much luck in the past and I’m getting to believe that “Marriages are made in heaven”. I don’t want to take a single breath if it’s not worth it.

Others: Speaking of fortune, I don’t gamble nor do I believe in finding a hidden treasure.

Would I expect fortune to knock my door? Hell, NO.

My Leisure at Guntakal and Moulali (5)

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When I thought of writing this post, the first thing that struck my mind was my Father’s saying “change of work is called leisure” and he always intended and many a times scolded me for sleeping a lot during my school and college days. Now I realize how true that was and later on I came up with my saying “what will I do in my coffin”? And I thought of leaving behind a history that I would love to read in my old age-which I doubt will never come.

Most of my leisure at Guntakal was spent playing caroms and watching movies in the re-creation room at the quarters. I would spend every evening drawing the engine parts and practicing engineering scripts on my fair copy of the notes. All my sleep started to fade away here and in the night I would sit outside in the balcony smoking, reading poems from “The Golden Treasury” and sometimes writing letters to Sridhar, Naveen and Arathi or to my Sister.

Initial days at Moulali was spent exploring the roads around the ZTC.Then began the worst hobby where I would spend all night writing thoughts in my diary and I would travel all over the world including Christ School, Christ College, MICO Vocational Centre, Belgaum and all the faces that have crossed my life and all the faded memories were brought back to life and I was playing the same old games in my mind. (I will post all the thoughts I have written one day and would get some brains going dead and hopefully save my own as they mean a lot to me)

Letters from Sridhar Machani and my Sister deserves a special place on this post. The only thing that I have ever waited for in my life -Letters from my friend and Sister which was a solace and on which they would give all the updates of Bangalore and family. In the world of e-mails where reply becomes such a tedious task, Sridhar would take all his time to reply to every thing that I wrote on the letter (If he permits I can publish some of them) it’s the scent of the ink, the words stressed which would make the ink blot and those smiley and symbols and the signature on a letter which would convey a lot more than the deepest thoughts on an e-mail.

Whenever I was in a pensive mood I would sit alone with a burning stick in my hand and compose poems or make a pencil sketch or think about Shilpa-who still smiles and dances in the corner of my brain.

Thus I enjoyed whatever I was doing wherever I went and I would do those things again and again as it was pleasant at that time and writing this post brings a pleasant fragrance of life’s wonderful moments spent in a crowd - yet alone.

Secunderabad Life at the Hostel (4)

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Our room was on the first floor and my room mates were Anand Rao, Jay Prakash, Seshagiri Rao and Ravi.I had taken a bed at the centre of the room and all luggages were unpacked and arranged in the cupboard. Life at the Hostel was luxurious with a separate study table for each, canteen on the ground floor and an open balcony from where the view was wonderful of the Centre, playground and also a top view of the kitchen. We had Times of India newspaper delivered to our room at 0500 Hrs and we could happily take a 30 minutes nap after lunch.

Couple of days passed and we had to get serious about our studies on G&SR (General & Subsidiary Rules). The marks what you score in the final exam at ZTC is what decides your seniority for promotions when you hit the job as a Diesel Asst. I was reading rather than studying the Manual given and spent most of my time drawing signals and warning boards and coloring them.

Saturday evening to Sunday midnight it was just fun and travel and the places that I visited during my stay in Moulali were Birla Mandir, Charminar, Salar Jung Museum, Tank Bund Road, and Golkonda Fort. We did watch a couple of movies and I used to travel everyday to Secunderabad for a good cup of tea.

Had forgotten to mention about my study table – creativity is something some people are born with and cannot live without. I would cut all the beautiful pictures from Hyderabad Times and with Seshagiri’s help paste it on my table.

December passed and it was New Year 2003, a time for celebration, time to shed all your inhibitions, sing and dance to your own tunes and any tune that people around you play. It so happens that the entertainment is the same but the faces change when compared to the past. Room mate Ravi had left Railways as he had got an offer from BHEL in Chennai.

On Jan 04th 2003 we left for Vijayawada for an educational tour , we studied various signals, walked over Krishna Bridge and also took time off to visit the book exhibition where I had purchased a book on Pencil Sketches and that unleashed a hidden talent which was unknown to me until then.

After our return from Vijayawada it was serious study time and we would stay awake until late in the night but half the time would be only laughter and jokes cracked by JP (Jay Prakash) or by “O Hansini” a song which was Debjit Roy’s favorite and later became everyone’s favorite.

On 21st Jan 2003 we had the final exam and on the same day we bid good bye to Moulali and boarded the Train no.Kacheguda-Dharmavaram express to Hubli.

A Remembrance

Introduction : As usual one day of my week end goes in cleaning the first floor and today the 20th October 2008 when I was cleaning the attic, I found the railway carton box in which I had two diaries… Running through the pages I found this piece which was titled “A Remembrance “written on 5th May 2003.I realize that in writing and the vocabulary I have come a long way. This extract has been typed word to word from my diary with thoughts added that I thought were missing.

Walking through the lovely streets of Belgaum today, I remember those days of the year 2001 when my hardships knew no bounds.Myself, Guruprasad, Sajid Khan and Anil Kumar waking up at 6am and starting off to Fairfield Atlas for reconditioning and commissioning of machine tools. Thanks to Mr. Krishna Murthy for giving an opportunity to expertise in the field of maintenance.

Everyday used to be hard and every evening colorful and joy.

I remember the way we had stripped open all the parts of the machine, examining each and every part, washing the parts in diesel patiently and setting all the parts in sequence for further assembly.

Our food at the Company premises used to be horrible-most of the grams what the Hotel manager used to cook, himself did not know the names. The name of the hotel was ‘Ravikiran’.

Many a times for dismantling seized and rusted parts we used a 100mm Diameter * 2000mm diameter long rod as a hammer. The shock of the hammering too had become pleasant to us. After hammering with it I was unable to even lift a glass of water once…Nerves on my hand taken a toll.

On one occasion we mounted anti-vibration pads to machines weighing 8-10 tons with a fork lift of 2.5 tons capacity. The amount of manpower involved and the risk we took when imagined today not only surprises me but also shocks to a great extent One false move and our hands would have been crushed under the 10 ton load of the machine.

When we were scraping the table of Cincinnati Grinder, myself and Guru Prasad had lifted the table nearly 400-500 kg.God knows how we got that strength. Whenever it came to the matter of moving machines, lifting machines and heavy physical work, we were all ahead. There was no staying back because we all enjoyed the job and day after day passed making us experts in the field. Dismantling and assembly of critical parts with or without the drawing was no big problem to us.

We used to have a jolly environment at the work spot and our boss. Mr.KK was a gentleman. He never interfered in the job nor even questioned us when we sat joking and chatting in our work spot. He had great respect for the MECHANIC.

As days passed by, our moves became more professional and our analysis was just too good. We were all equally skilled but Khan Bhai was more intelligent than the rest because he had worked in Australia for four years. Right from cleaning the floor to picking up the dust, oil and grease, we all shared equal amount of job.

I don’t know whether you may believe it or not, for many days the stain of the grease and oil hadn’t gone from our hands and we were least bothered. Just for name sake we washed our hands before eating.

At this instance how can I forget the taste of New Niyaz and Suruchi which we frequently visited?

I can never forget the dress that I wore during maintenance-a brown 10th standard pant or MICO’s grey colored one with grey t-shirt or a black t-shirt upon which in later stages I started to wear MICO foreman overcoat.

The company people were really good natured and provided all the necessary tools until KK purchased a tool kit which I personally maintained. From my training days till date I love cleaning tools and arranging them because they fetched my meals.

The machines we commissioned and reconditioned includes Barber-Colman gear shaper, Gear Shaver, Gear Hobbing,CNC Cincinnati Milacron,CNC and Conventional Warner and Swasey,Healde Internal Grinder,Multispindle Drilling Machine,NC Milling Machine,Pneumatic 3 spindle Horizontal Drilling Machine and Cincinnati Universal Grinding Machine.

We learned to live socially-you for me, me for you. At the end of the days works, Oh! No, many day’s night would have set in by the time we returned from our job. On many occasions our work went up to 16hours when we were determined to finish the task taken up in the morning.

Normally we used to return to Ajit lodge(less of a lodge, more it had become our home) fresh up, change the dress and go roaming through the most unforgettable streets of Belgaum-Khade Bazaar, Ganpath Galli, Kirloskar Road, Maruthi Galli and Station road. Even though we roamed through the same streets everyday we never felt bored because it would be colorful everyday and we added to the color by joking and singing on the way.

One more reason why I liked Belgaum was the greenery and the people who were very interesting. On the way to the Company the road on either side was cultivation land, a land so green – that sight! My eyes can never forget. The company itself was located with the background of a mountain and in the month of December the mist and the fog filled Mountain View was a pleasant sight. I always wished to stay on the mountain writing my thoughts and poems and I swear if I get an opportunity I would forget all the world.

At later stages we started to visit internet centers-silicon Valley at the end of Gondali Galli and the Cyber Den in front of Hanuman Temple. We used to be the last leaving customers chatting, chatting and chatting. One more entertainment was cards. We played and played but never got bored.

Initially we worked six days a week and Sunday being a holiday Mr.KK would finance for the movies and the dinner at the New Niyaz.All the stress and strain of the six days were relieved on the seventh day. But some days when we did too much of physical work, we would be so tired that with severe body pain we were unable to move across the bed. But all our pain lasted only the night and again by morning we were soldiers fit for war, lions ready for the attack.

How can I forget Bajrang(Baja),Satish(Satya),Mahindra(Gotia) and Chottu Ustad, who were our maintenance rivals but good friends outside the company premises. We used to enjoy the journey in Fairfield Atlas bus. They shared their views with us and spent some evenings with us.

After the days hard work we all assembled at Manik’s Hotel (in front of Fairfield Atlas) for a cup of tea and vadapav. The rain in Belgaum is very interesting with continuous drizzling through out the day with 5-10 minutes gap in between. Even though initially we hated the rain later on we started to enjoy and with our umbrellas on , we roamed the streets.

The Maharastrian girls were very good looking -nose ring, jasmine flower for the hair and some women in the traditional Maharastrian saree-just wonderful. My Heart has skipped a beat many a times n Belgaum.

Well, it’s all a remembrance today but it was that stage of my life as a working youth with full vigor and charm.

Thanks Belgaum, I learnt life’s most crucial lessons here and will never forget one of my most loving places on earth-BELGAUM.

Once again thanks and bye…
05/05/03
00:05 Hrs

Secunderabad Life at the RPF Barracks (3)

Note : Railway Diaries follows the Number on the Post Title

It was November 2002 that we arrived at Secunderabad Station and caught a bus to Moulali , Headed straight to Trainee hostel and the time was 0730 Hrs.When we met the Warden , he informed us that the hostel was full and that if we wanted accommodation we had to manage in the RPF Barracks. I did not think much but headed from there to the RPF Barracks which was a 15 minutes walk ……..

From the main gate to the barrack would have been 600 mts and it was just a big hall with some shaky cots and broken glass windows with a door which did not have a locking arrangement. Took bath and headed back to the training center. Everybody was concerned about their luggage back at the barracks.

The prayer started at 0900 Hrs and with a small speech by the Principal we found ourselves in the classroom. Mr.Murthy entered the class announcing that he will be the class teacher and it sounded like I had long forgotten that word.Anyways there was a round of introduction and when it came to electing a Class Leader I was unanimously chosen as I had been the best at Guntakal (even though Mohan Rao had warned me that I should opt out of Leader role at Moulali, because there would be too much to study).

We had lunch at the hostel canteen and I don’t remember the taste as I was very hungry. After the class we all rushed back to the barracks and this is where the actual life at ZTC (Zonal Training Centre) begins……..

Luckily the luggage was undisturbed. I unpacked a few daily usable clothes, shoe polish tin and the brush. After cursing all the officials possible for not having sufficient rooms at the hostel we headed back to the hostel mess for dinner. After dinner the 15 minute walk seemed a little too long as I was tired after the travel from Guntakal to Secunderabad and the already three trips from the barrack to the centre. On reaching the main gate, we realized that there was no power and it was pitch dark and none of us had a torch. Slowly we crept to the hall and lay on the cots and it was only when one of the alarms went off that I woke up.

Day 2 was mostly spent in the class and during breaks trying to convince the warden to allot rooms and also mentioning that we would adjust with whatever is given. As I spoke in Telugu, he asked me to check out some ladies quarters at the back of the centre. After the class, I went with some of my friends to check them and the word that I may use with all rights is pathetic. The cots were broken and twisted and the beds were happily conquered by bed bugs. Saying a big NO I walked back to the barracks.

When the news came to us that the hostel rooms would be allotted, we were actually jumping with joy.

Around a week and a half had passed in the RPF barracks and I was enjoying the long walks and the stillness that existed in the darkness of the night.

ANDAMAN – Paradise Re-defined

Firstly I know the pictures are what everyone looks for on this Blog.....here's the link :- http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0BbuXLFm2ZsWLh

30th Sep 2008 Travel :-
Chikka Adugodi to Bangalore City Railway Station 1300 to 1345 Hrs
Departure from Bangalore to Chennai by Brindavan Express at 1430 Hrs
Arrival at Chennai 2030 Hrs
Park Station to Trisulam Station by suburban train 2145 to 2210 Hrs

Description : Train No. 2640 departed on time and the journey was more of getting to know Murali,Wilton and Madhu who were a part of this trip along with Venu.

01st Oct 2008 Travel :-
Departure from Chennai to Port Blair at 0430 Hrs
Arrival at Port Blair at 0630 Hrs
Airport to Aberdeen Bazaar 15mins by Taxi
10 mins walk to Cellular Jail and Fisheries Museum
15 mins walk to Zonal Anthropological Museum

Description : As we had sufficient time before the Check in we decided to spend time sitting at the arrival of Chennai Air Port and even took a short nap.
As soon as we arrived at Port Blair we were attacked by auto/taxi drivers. We finalized on a taxi at 100/- to Aberdeen Bazaar. Finding Azad Lodge wasn’t difficult (double bedroom cost 300/- per day).Lunch at Light House restaurant was good.
Cellular jail was interesting and the exact replica of what I had read in the books. The sound and Light show at the jail took us into the life of those immortals who laid down their lives for the cause of Freedom.
Zonal Anthropological Museum gives an insight into the life of tribes of Andaman.

02nd Oct 2008 Travel :-
Journey by bus from A/Bazaar to Wandoor 0815 to 0915 Hrs
Wandoor to Redskin Island 0930 to 1015 Hrs
Redskin Island to Wandoor 1415 to 1500 Hrs
Wandoor to A/Bazaar 1600 to 1700 Hrs
10 mins walk to Children’s Traffic Park

Description : Govt. tourism dept. is one building where you can book tickets for most parts of your journey. Tickets to Redskin Island was booked one day prior and we had to get to Wandoor on our own.
Being Gandhi Jayanthi the regular bus stand route was closed & we had to go to a nearby circle to board the bus. I would like to mention here about two Cops who guided us and also helped in catching the bus to Wandoor.
The driver of the bus was friendly who called up folks in Redskin Island and told them not to move the boat until his bus arrived.
We had to take permit from the govt. official at Wandoor. Ride from Wandoor to Redskin Island was beautiful with view of Amazing islands. In Redskin included in the ticket is a short trip of Snorkelling, but if you pay another 100/- the guide will take you a little deeper into the sea and also explain the names of the Corals. Here you can play in the sea until you’re tired and the water being crystal clear you tend to go deeper and deeper.

03rd Oct 2008 Travel :-
15 mins walk to Phoenix ay Jetty
Journey from Phoenix Bay Jetty to Havelock Island 0615 to 0830 Hrs
Journey by bus to Radhanagar Beach 0915 to 1015 Hrs
Journey back to Havelock jetty 1215 to 1315 Hrs
Havelock Island to Phoenix Bay Jetty 1400 to 1600 Hrs

Description : A strange thing that happened here , we went two days in advance to book the tickets to Havelock Island and at the booking counter we were told it was booked for the next three days. As I had read about the same in other blogs, I told the rest of the group to be awake and ready by 0430 in the morning. When we reached Phoenix Bay Jetty, there was a queue as usual and after standing in the queue for about 7minutes,we had the tickets to Havelock in our hand.
One of the memorable sea journeys that you will enjoy and also Radhanagar Beach – wow ! the best beach that I have visited in India.
I can go on and on about Havelock Island but certain things in life are better enjoyed when the story is untold.

04th Oct 2008 Travel :-
0930 Hrs departure from Rajiv Gandhi water sports complex to North Bay
North Bay to Ross Island
Ross Island to Viper Island
Viper Island to Rajiv Gandhi water sports complex 1730 Hrs

Description : This package is more of travel but you will still enjoy the Ross Island which was a British Headquarters and now under the control of the Indian Navy. The Guide at Ross Island Mrs.Anuradha Rao will take your breath away by her speech.

05th Oct 2008 Travel :-
Aberdeen Bazaar to Airport by bus 1015 to 1030 Hrs
Port Blair to Chennai 1300 to 1500 Hrs
Trisulam Station to Park Station by suburban train 1545 to 1610 Hrs
Departure from Chennai to Bangalore by Kaveri Express 2130 Hrs

06th Oct 2008 Travel :-
Arrival at Bangalore Cant 0330 Hrs
Bangalore Cant. to Chikka Adugodi by Rickshaw 0340 to 0400 Hrs

Expenditure : Overall expenditure including food and transport for this trip was 14,500 /-