Local Train Travel

The fact that local trains in Mumbai are its lifeline is very well known. The sheer volume of people that commute is mind boggling. I have myself used the trains to get to work for a large part of my working life. Its only about 4 years back that I started to drive to work, and mind you its a long drive, 31 kms one way to be precise.

I love driving but the evening drive back turns out to be quite a pain albeit a necessary evil too. If you choose to drive to work, well you gotta drive back. So when your car goes into the service centre and stays there for more than 2 days for some major overhauls, more on that later, you have no choice but to get on to the trains.

Peak hour traffic is quite another thing. I got on to the 8:30 train to CST and man was I elbowed out before I fought back and got inside the train. Sure signs of aging and even solid signs that driving, even though boring & painful, beats the stress of train travel hands down. But once inside, the train gets you to your destination faster than road and suddenly the train sounds a better option. So I guess the key is to pick a time where you can get into the train without a push or a shove.

When I used to travel by train to work, we had a standard up-down practise. Basically go up to Thane in the train which eventually will move down to CST. It guarantees you a seat, a window if you are agile & lucky. But such luxuries are ill afforded these days so picking the right time is the key to a comfortable train travel.

I am planning to attempt to pick the right time and use the train to get to work for a few days next month. This is primarily for a change since I am really fed up of driving. So lets see how it works out.

Final Day

The fact that we would return later in the evening made it difficult to wake up in the morning. Over some amazing bread from the local bakery for breakfast we made plans to take a walk and visit the vermicultre pit which is used to recycle organic waste.

The pit is made of 5 compartments. Each one has the compost which is in a different stage of development. Once the compartment is filled with the waste, there are special earthworms which are mixed along with the waste and covered with dry grass or hay and left for a long time. The resulting mixture is used as manure for agricultural purposes.

We got back home for the afternoon puja & aarti which was follwed by lunch. We then got down to packing our stuff and readied ourselves to leave for the station.

Fortunately the train was ontime and we were upgraded from 3rd AC to 2nd AC due to overbooking. We had some good dinner on the train. Though we got side berths in 2nd AC, it was less noisier than 3rd AC but the AC was quite low. It got a bit better as the night wore on.

We reached Kalyan at 5:15 in the morning and were home by 6. I started for work at 8:30 and was dreading the fact of having to go through 500 odd emails.

Why is that you want a holiday just when you finshed one?

Ganapati Bappa Morya

Since the idol would be brought home only by around 11 am, we decided to drive down to see Gokak Falls. We took the new Swift and drove about 10 kms.

Though there was quite a bit of water, the falls were far from full. Most photos of the falls are quite amazing but I guess they are during monsoon season. We walked on the suspension bridge which is maintained by Forbes Gokak. Its quite a joy to walk on the bridge, especially when there are quite a few on it. It shakes & moves as you walk. Our guide was Dhruv, who lives in Gokak and is related to Snehal. He gave us a lot of information as we drove & walked and was good fun to be with.

We got back well in time for the Ganapati Puja. The Ganapati puja was followed by a "gana hom" which is a fairly long puja.

The entire hospital staff is invited for lunch on Ganapati day, which is a really nice gesture by Snehal's uncle/cousin. The lunch spread was amazing and there was no alternative but to catch about 80 winks. Snehal finshed her lunch much after me and grabbed a short nap.

There was evening aarti which was good fun. Snehal's niece Anoushka, was great company all through the holiday and was quite excited during the aarti and was a volunteer for the music accompaniments for the aarti, along with her brother Rahul.

We ended the day with a light dinner

Gauri Puja

The day before Ganapati is celebrated as Gauri Puja or "Tayi" in amchi lingo. This is the day Gauri (Ganapati's mother) arrives home. The married ladies of the house also offer "vayn" which is then offered to elderly married ladies. Quite a lady affair I say.

As per tradition, the first "vayn" for the lady is at her parents place or wherever her parents celebrate Ganapati. Since Gokak is where Snehal's folks come every year, we followed suit.

Snehal & me performed the puja and later Snehal offered the "vayn". The first "vayn" is offered to Gauri, the next to the panditji & the third to the husband followed by elder ladies. And needless to say, the new bride gets gifts in return for the first "vayn"

We had a sumptuous lunch which was followed by a nice long siesta.

I spent the later half of the evening taking a walk on the terrace and having some lovely tea, which is sourced from Bangalore. I must try and get some of that.

Gokak City

After an uneventful train journey, most of which we spent sleeping, we reached Ghataprabha Station at 8:45 am. After a 30 min drive we reached at Snehal's uncle's palatial house.

The house is a small part in a sprawling campus. The entire family is full of doctors & they have been running a very successful hospital since the past 30 years. On the facade stands a very modern hospital which specializes in Laparoscopic Surgery.


Along with this hospital, there are 2 huge bungalows, 2 gardens, lots of walkways and the old/original hospital which has been functional since 30 years. It is quite amazing to see the number of people employed & the goodwill they have in the entire village. I guess being well known in a small village has its own advantages.

After a lovely lunch & a short siesta, we were invited by Snehal's cousin to see a Hysterectomy operation. It was my first experience inside the Operation Theatre and we were asked to wear a cap, a mask, a gown & OT shoes. To say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. He gave us an overview of the operation and was kind enough to explain some of the key elements of the operation. Laparoscopic surgery is quite a skill and requires quite a bit of patience & concentration.

We were inside the Operation Theatre for about an hour after which we shared a cup of tea with the Doc who answered some more questions which we were itching to ask. I think this is an experience I will never forget.

The rest of the evening was full of Ganapati preparations with more family members arriving and joining in the preparations.

I am using BSNL broadband to blog & the speeds here in Gokak are blazing. It really beats the shit out my Hathway connection in Mumbai. Excellent Internet & a good mobile phone coverage is all you need to be working for any organization in any part of the world. Maybe someday!

Gokak

We leave for Gokak in the evening. We are hoping to go & see the Gokak Falls along with enjoying some great food during Ganapati. Its Snehal's first after marriage, so she will be the centre of attractions. Also read more gifts for her :)

Gokak City has a pretty cool website. Impressive!

Details later

Mishti Doi

Picked up some amazing Mishti Doi from Kolkata. I happened to be there twice last month in consecutive weeks. Once I picked up a kullad for us & the other time for my uncle on special request.

I love it!