Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai

I know that thousands of people do this daily and even more do it on Weekends.But everytime I make that trip between Mumbai-Pune on weekends, I cannot help but appreciate how much I love this stretch of travel and with all the things it helps me with.

As a kid,I always thought of Pune as that junction that used to arrive after the journey through the Lonavla-Khandala ghaats;the junction that used to arrive after the train went over the bridge across the Mula-Mutha river ( I now know that bridge as the 'Sangam' Bridge); the junction that I only used to look out to from behind the glass panes of the Air conditioned confines of the train compartment. I don't know why, but I always used to wonder what was beyond that railway station!!
For starters, there's the usual 2 modes of travel that can help you make this journey; road and rail (I'm totally discounting that 15 min flight from Mumbai which I have done too)
Take the train from Mumbai and you are sure to have that unique journey experience that this route offers. Although, there are close to 8 dedicated trains that ply between the 2 cities, the 'Deccan Queen' rules the roost even today. Once upon a time, it was a status symbol to take this train. Now though, it's just another train...although probably it would help to know that this one is amongst the quickest and would get you to your destination in flat 3 hrs. Personally, I view this journey as one that can be roughly divided into 4 parts. The first one that gets you out of Mumbai until you reach Kalyan on the outskirts is just a dull drab. The scenery ( if i
can call it that) is just a mixture of the usual Mumbai suburban rush, rubbish, apartments that seem to be kissing each other.. ( Hope you get the picture!) The next one from thereon, until you reach Karjat is a bit of a mixture, starting with views of the lower middle class localities hugging the Outskirts of Mumbai and ending with wide open spaces as you reach closer to karjat. (Of course, you also cross through Neral that houses the toy-trains that take you up to Matheran). Karjat is also where you 'have' to have that famous 'vada-pav' while the railways take their time to add those 2 additional engines onto the train that helps it make the climb that awaits across the next stretch. So, Karjat station for me is symbolic of that stopover you make in life, where you relax, refill your thoughts from time to time! (Hope this doesn't sound too dramatic).Also, most trains on this route have a Pantry car (Surprised? cause it's all done in 3 hrs) where you can savour cutlets, oily omelette's etc with some bread along with cups of 'tea-bag' chai and 'milk powder' coffee.Moving on, the next stretch of the journey is absolutely a treat. The train chugs along at an idyllic pace as it crosses through the renowned Khandala-Lonavla Ghats. Scenic views of the valley below are on offer. This stretch turns even more pristine during the monsoons with little gushing waterfalls forming up at regular intervals. It is absolutely a treat to push your head a bit and catch the ends of the train when it goes round the curve. (I do that even today!). Once you get across this section filled with tunnels (Large and small ones alike), you reach Lonavla, after which you get a feel of the semi-rural areas before you finally reach Pune.

The other option of course is taking the road. Here, though, you have 2 options. One of them is the very well built expressway (This, for many of us, was a marvel even until a few years ago).Although, it is still a pain to get through the city before you get to Wakad where you actually hit the Express lane, the ride after this is very much seamless. Right until the point when you reach Panvel on the outskirts of Mumbai. The road is indeed very well constructed. There are huge signboards all along the route, advising drivers on how to ride the expressway. There are also huge advertising boards, marketing everything from real-estate to Banking services. There're also food jaunts along the exits and although there's variety of food on offer, it's a bit of a rip-off. Of course, the expressway does not offer you the romance that the old Mumbai-Pune highway has in store. Although this road too is now very well maintained, it wasn't an easy ride when there was no expressway. I remember riding the old highway as a kid to Lonavala during the monsoons. Vehicles literally had to grind their way up the gradients, snaking along the curves.

I personally prefer taking the train since it's faster (and more economical too :D). More importantly, I enjoy this ride and have been a regular at it now every time I travel back home to Mumbai on weekends.And I have some good old Bollywood music for company. Rhythm and Rail. The perfect combination!

Making a Comeback

This is definitely not the Sourav Ganguly types...Yes, I want to make a comeback to blogger. But not sure how regular I can be be (and also the quality of the stuff that I put on here).

The last year or so has been a very interesting challenge for me. And I can say that I was neither successful nor a failure. My move to Chennai was a big change in lifestyle. Living, food, the language , the weather, meeting people....every aspect of life was a Paradigm shift. (Maybe we can discount the food part cause I'm comfortable with all kindsa food). It was an experience which will be difficult to forget. It was a challenge for me right from the word go...firstly, finding a place to live. It is very difficult for a Bachelor to convince people to let out their houses in Chennai. Folks there are absolutely adamant with letting out houses only to 'Families', 'Vegetarians'...(Hope you get the picture!). And the fact that I knew absolutely no one there didn't help. I spent the better part of the year living with my cousin's roommate after which I finally found a place for myself...(unfortunately by the time I had settled down there, I made the decision to move out :)

However, I should admit that having my cousin there initially helped me a lot. I was introduced to quite a few of his friends and my limited social life in chennai eventually revolved around these few wonderful folks....Weekend lunches at their place, attending Weddings ( two of them tied the knot) etc. Although Chennai is an awesome city with numerous entertainment options, my activities over the year were restricted to watching movies at Satyam (an awesome Old time multiplex), at the beach on a few occassions, a couple of visits to nearby Pondicherry ( on the magnificient East Coast Road) and in-between weekend trips to Bangalore. Besides these occassions, I was bitten by the 'No-Social-Life' Syndrome. (Yes kinda hard to digest).

Well...I guess i can't narrate a year's worth in a single post; but I guess I did just OK. Which is not good cause when you don't really enjoy living in a city, then everyday becomes a compromise. And that's why, I jumped at the first opportunity I got to move to Pune.

Yes...that's where I am now..In the 'Oxford of the East', the 'Punya Nagari'. Although I had to quit a great job, I fell more at home now. And I don't know why! Is it because I'm closer to Mumbai? Is it the food, the weather, the language, the people?...I just don't know. That's how some things are; you just can't explain them.

And I'm hoping that things get better.
More on Pune soon..

Au Revoir Bangalore!

Boy! It's been over six months since I posted anything. Kinda had lost the will to write anything...it was like I had lots to say but somehow never found that Push. So I guess it had to be something real special/important to pull me out of this hibernation.

Yeah...My project in Bangalore has ended...I'm back in Mumbai...not for long though...cause I'm moving to Chennai :(

I remember approximately a year ago when I had similar thoughts of moving out of Mumbai...my first stint ever outside the city! I had endless thoughts about finding accomodation, setting up the other Infrastructure, working with new people, finding new friends etc etc. In the end, everything worked out so fine that I was really sad when I said Goodbye to Bangalore and all the Wonderful People there last weekend.

Will definitely miss all you guys back there.
Right now though, It's time to soak in some Mumbai. Hopefully I'll be more regular with my posts.

To the Moon and back!

Well..of course, i am equating my trip back home as a trip to the Moon. 9 days of Bliss they were! And now that I'm back in bangalore, I am badly missing the things back home..badly missing Mumbai for that matter!

This never happened to me when I originally moved here about 6 months ago. And I guess I'm being too dramatic about this! But it was really cool to get back home to family and friends, to get back to Mumbai, the townside with it's splendid Seafront (which I just cannot stop Missing), to ride the crowded Local trains and the magnificient BEST buses (the red wonder). Missing all that and much more...hanging out with friends,spending endless hours with them talking nonsense, the movies......the list goes on.

And thanks to my friends, I had a fabulous birthday. We did so much nonsense stuff...I just can't seem to get enough of that. I'm telling you...Mumbai rules!

Back to work now though....I hope I get through this week and then I know it's all going to be back to normal ;)

B.A.N.G.A.L.O.R.E.D.

Well..not literally...being 'Bangalored' is totally different....but In a sense, I've been surprised by the changes that have taken place in this city. After a very hectic last week in Mumbai, marred by the torrenatial rains and the following damage, I finally arrived in Banaglore last wednesday.

When you first come to a city as a tourist, the first things that you take in are it's sights and sounds. But knowing that i will have to live here for the next 12 months or so, the first things that caught me were not the sights and sounds...but the smell. When you come to South India, you just cannot miss the feeling of the aroma all around you. Not surprsingly enough, this city does not reek of filth or rot. The smell of fresh spices and Coffee are the first that hit you. It is very Obvious. Of course, the traditional shops selling freshly ground coffee powder are far less now as compared to the abundance of trendy coffee shops...there's a CCD or Barista round every corner..at least in the area I'm living in right now. Of course, as they say, 'A lot can happen over Coffee'. And fortunately, a lot does! Even the polluted air smells different out here...a heady mix of diesel and petrol (hehe).

I still haven't had much time to discover this city. It's going to take some more time yet. Once I'm done with Training and undertaken other travel and once I can finally call myself a resident of Bangalore (I definitely cannot call myself a BANGALOREite....that would be grave Injustice to Mumbai!), I will hopefully get a chance to discover this city.

Until then, it's back to the clinical confines of my work space.