DAY 120 – In Bangalore

Friends,

RSP Reddy is the 23^rd IRTS batch mate I met during the course of this fascinating journey. We were a batch of 42 who joined the IRTS following selection in the 1980 Civil Services Examination. Since the late 1950s such a large number in a batch was unique. However, in the next two years the number got trimmed to 34 following the resignation of 7 who joined the IAS and another who joined the IPS. A death, a resignation, a superannuation, 2 movements to PSUs and 4 Voluntary Retirements over the past nearly 30 years means 24 serving batch mates. I tried to meet as many as I could during the journey; I missed some due to poor information and a few due to non-availability in their HQs. I took particular care to meet the serving batch mates for I derived immense delight in thanking them for my daily bread – it is their labor and the sweat of their brows that put monthly pension in my bank account!

RSP Reddy holds a unique position in the batch in that he resigned from the organisation without ensuring the golden parachute of pension. Meeting him last evening gave me the opportunity I had waited for – to ask if he ever regretted his decision to leave the Railways. I was happy to hear that he enjoyed what he did outside the Railways and hence was a contended person. It was remarkable to hear from him that he had very little need for money and was engaged in meaningful service to society. It is people like him who should populate the political highways so that society and its constituents get their fair share. Four hours waltzed by sharing side splitting anecdotes and personal experiences.

I met Mr Krishnamurty at the security desk in an airport nearly 10 years ago. I was amused to hear him telling the security guards to keep the chocolates he was carrying for his grandchildren when he was told to open the wrappers to prove that they were not security risks! We got talking thereafter and I learnt that he was returning to Mumbai from London, where his daughter, Suchitra, and son-in-law, Shekar Kapoor, were based. I called on Mrs and Mr Krishnamurthy, who spend most of their time in Bangalore, and discussed at length the problems and concerns of parents as they grow older and the children move on to establish their own nests. When I took leave Mr Krishnamurthy presented me with a fashionable watch, which he felt my wrists were ‘built for’.

Anita produced a fabulous spread for lunch. I am amazed at this lady’s efficiency and the number of tasks she juggles. She has time for everything and everybody. You want to shop, Anita is there for you. If you want to move house, Anita is again there. You want a shoulder for comfort, Anita once more. The way she keeps her house could be a matter of envy to many. Three cheers to you lady. Ajay and I feasted as if there is no tomorrow and demolished some chocolates too before we left.

I think it was Lin Yu-Tang who famously said, “All women’s dresses are merely variations of the eternal struggle between the admitted desire to dress and the unadmitted desire to undress.” When I see youngsters in shopping malls I think that fashion these days is all about the inverse of the famous quote: ….. it is the admitted desire to undress and the unadmitted desire to dress. The brazen public display of branded lingerie is a case in point. To showcase one’s ‘high brow’ fashion designers trimmed the shirt, dropped trousers to just above the unmentionables and created a statement with branded undergarments. I feel the fashion statement would have had greater punch if the undergarment had been worn as an ‘over garment’.

DAY 119 – In Bangalore

Friends,

When I visited the Shan-e-Bhopal restaurant in Bhopal I found a framed reproduction of the landmark letter written by Okhil Chandra Sen to the Sahibganj Divisional Railway Office in 1909. The contents of the letter were as follows:

“I am arrive by passenger train Ahmedpur station and my belly is too much swelling with jackfruit. I am therefore went to privy. Just I doing the nuisance that guard making whistle blow for train to go off and I am running with ‘lotah’ in one hand and ‘dhoti’ in the next when I am fall over and expose all my shocking to man and female women on plateform. I am got leaved at Ahmedpur station.

This too much bad, if passenger go to make dung that dam guard not wait train five minutes for him. I am therefore pray for your honour to make big fine on that guard for public sake. Otherwise I am making big report to papers.”

The letter revolutionized on board passenger facilities in that it led to the provision of toilets on trains. During my visit to the SWR HQ a coupkle of days back I came across a letter addressed to the General Manager of SWR by an Officer of the Railway on behalf of the Officers’ Association on 24^th March 2008, nearly a hundred years after Okhil Babu’s letter. The impassioned plea which is the content of the letter will, most likely, redesign Officers’ accommodation in the near future. This masterpiece of official appeal will continue to sound bugles of mirth and laughter wherever it is read long after its author retires from active service. Since such pieces are not so common and are extremely difficult to compose I thought it inappropriate for it to be confined to a dusty file in a dark recess of the office, where such magna opera often end up. Hence, reproduced in its entirety, without the permission of either the author or the organization, is the letter printed on the SWROA letterhead and circulated to an impressive array of senior railway officials in March 2008.

“Respected GM/SWR

Sub:       Toilet/Washbasin facilities in SAG Officers Chambers in

New GM Building

****

                SWROA is requesting GM/SWR, PCE and CAO/CN for consideration of Toilet/Washbasin facilities in the SAG officers chambers in new upcoming GM Building, in view of the prevalent health conditions. As the officers are working in a modern atmosphere in tight schedules of working hours which have no specified timings and officers are prone to take their diets at irregular intervals generally thereby officers are facing gastric problems by which they feel like using toilet frequently. Senior officers cannot pay attention to his job, staff and visitors when such inconvenient health conditions are prone to them and the same officer can pay better attention if he can discharges his nature call provided in his chamber itself. The general toilets meant for officers are not practically maintained as per standards and often misused without any control. I need not emphasise the importance of the person who finished his nature call and comfortable himself on the chair or to attend his job, maybe thoughtfully realize and consider the above request for overall improvement.

                Since New GM building is under rapid progress of construction and at this juncture the competent authority can review as a special case and advise the concerned construction organisation for the above simple facility which will go a long way for the officers appreciation towards the kind act.

                Prayed for GM kind consideration.”

Those unfamiliar with the bureaucracy and/or the Offices from where the Nation’s future is directed will now be able to appreciate better as to what propels a vast sea of humanity to the Government Offices every working day – it is either to find joy from reading such masterpieces in an otherwise dreary world or to use the restrooms of the Offices after interacting with the authors of such gems of Official prose!!

DAY 118 – Bellary to Bangalore

Friends,

Tapping alternate energy sources is a must to optimize the use and allocation of scarce resources. At the same time it should also ensure that it does not engender waste of other ersources. I remember the heated debates we had in Hubli in 2003/4 at the time of setting up the facilities in the new ORH, where many of the Officers were resident. The Chief Electrical Engineer, Mr. Bajwa, swore by Solar Power to produce the hot water requirement in the ORH. He even harnessed it to meet his cooking needs. The arithmetic he produced in favor of energy saving carried the day and solar panels were installed in the ORH. The enormous waste of water before the Solar Power heated water flowed through the tap was considered inconsequential in comparison to the saving in the energy bill. What was not accounted for, deliberately I feel at times, is the cost to entire society by way of wastage of another precious resource, water. When I wanted hot water in the Hubli ORH yesterday all I got was cold water as the Solar Panels were not functioning properly. This morning in the JSW GH I was alarmed by the amount of cold water that had to be run through the tap before hot water became available by the ‘cheaper source’ of Solar Power.

 I had decided to take the Bellary-Ananthpur-Bangalore route but thanks to a wrong turn I ended up on the Bellary-Challikere-Hiriyur-Bangalore route. I had decided to take the former route due to the excellent NH7 between Anathpur and Bangalore. As it turned out the SH up to Hiriyur was quite good except for the frequent speed breakers that often sprang upon you unannounced.  The NH4 from Hiriyur to Bangalore was top class. By and large, I have found that the tolled national and state roads are maintained far better than the non-tolled highways. I reached the outskirts of Bangalore city in less than 5 hours from Bellary.

As a resident of Cochin and Kerala I have come to believe that a city would be ‘closed’ on a National Holiday. However, as I drove into Bangalore I realized that such experiences are limited to within the borders of Kerala. A large number of shops were open, even the government operated liquor outlets. Kerala has a large number of ‘dry days’ enforced by the government in an apparent bid to reign in the ‘evil’ of drinking. By now there is enough evidence to prove that liquor sales are brisker on the eve of designated ‘dry days’ and ‘hartals’. Thus, the daily average consumption is maintained as per the trend of the year despite such closures.

DAY 117 – Hubli to Bellary

Friends,

As I was completing my blog post for the day I got a call from Baskaran who wanted to meet me before I left for Bellary. He bounded into the ORH room with a packet in hand. My ‘Guru’, Amreetha, had sent a boxful of candles through her father to be given to me. It was overwhelming. By this time we were joined by Mohan Menon. He came to wish me luck for the rest of the journey and had also brought breakfast of dosa, ‘Kerala’ chutney and sambar. Last evening’s session resumed with a discussion on Baskaran’s affinity for and proficiency in Golf. He is as passionate a golfer as can be found, but with a difference. He claims that he can coach anyone, with the right intent, to play a decent game of Golf in 15 days. He narrated many examples of his coaching prowess. By the time we parted Mohan was quite inclined to wield the clubs under the guidance of Baskaran.

Last evening, while taking a round of the Officers’ Colony with Baskaran and Mohan, the former showed us a tree with many natural Ganeshas on them. While the very obvious could be seen in the fading light I wanted to closely observe the tree in the morning. Hence, after leaving the ORH and before heading for Bellary I drove through the Colony to the tree. The natural formation of Ganeshas on the tree tunks is most striking and I could make out at least 4 of them. I was engrossed in taking pictures of the tree from various angles when Gagarin happened along. Gagarin is a HoD in the Commercial department of SWR. His first working assignment was in Palghat in 1990 as my understudy when I was Senior Divisional Operations Manager. Over the past two decades Gagarin has beaten a fresh path wherever he has been posted and whatever responsibilities have been entrusted to him. His style may not have been appreciated by many of his bosses but that never cramped him. A highly socially conscious individual with excellent moral fibre, he kept me in splits with his version of Railway ‘news’.

The drive from Hubli to Bellary was largely eventless, except for a small ‘takkar’ after passing Hospet. The city is enveloped in dust and debris. Buildings have been ‘shaved’ of their facades, roads have been dug up and traffic is diverted through a labyrinth of chaotic and dusty by lanes. Just past the city a massive traffic holdup saw me fretting for more than a half hour. Traffic was regulated on the busy two lane highway to facilitate blacktopping. In and around Hospet there is considerable movement of dumpers transporting iron ore. One such dumper, in a bid to squeeze through the convoy, brushed the right side of the car causing damage to the right side mirror, right wheel guard and the front bumper. I tried to chase the dumper but the chaotic traffic let him ’escape’.  

I had requested the Director HR of JSW to facilitate my stay in their GH. The ‘Hampi House’ is a tastefully constructed and practically furnished GH. I first visited the premises of JVSL, now JSW, in 2000 as part of a Concor team to study containerization of finished products from the Steel Plant. Thereafter, as part of the SWR management I used to visit the Plant and interact with the management of the Company quite regularly. The 1.6 million ton Plant had now grown to 10 million. It is the largest single Steel Plant in India and moves are afoot to scale up to 18 million. Acquisitions have made JSW the largest steel producer in the country. I also met the ebullient and handsome CEO, Dr Vinod Nowal, and he took me through the happenings in the Plant and in the Group over the past five years and the path that it wishes to tread in the future. Dr Nowal invited me to the ‘Husband’s Night’ on the Club lawns, an enjoyable evening got up by the wives to treat their spouses.

With the visit to Hubli I have ’technically’ completed the tour of all State Capitals and the 17 Railway Zonal HQs. A dream has been realized and I have achieved what I had set out to do. Today I can claim to have friends in all parts of India. Today I know my country a little bit more than I did prior to 1^st October 2010. Today, after having travelled the length and breadth of the country, I appreciate the diversity of our land, its rich traditions, its wonderful people and the fabulous foods. Incredible India. Bharat Mera Mahan. Jai Hind.

PS: The blog posts will continue till I return to Cochin

DAY 116 – Vasco (Goa) to Hubli

Friends,

The day started with a breakfast invitation. Bhanu P Tayal, MD KRCL, had evidently tried to contact me after I hit the sack last night. As he found no response to his telephone calls he sent me an SMS asking me to join him for breakfast in the KRCL GH in Madgaon, Goa. I responded in the affirmative as soon as I saw the message. This also meant that I opt for the NH63 to Hubli, which I was informed, is a better route than the one through Londa. While working as Chief Freight Transportation Manager of SWR I was also ex-officio Trustee of the MPT. The Board meetings used to be held almost every month and I took the opportunity to interact with the MPT officials as well as to inspect the Londa-Vasco section. Such visits also strengthened the network with customers. As ex-Trustee I settled the bills in the MPT GH at concessional tariff. I was in the KRCL GH ten minutes past the agreed upon hour of 8 am.

I had informed BPT that I would not be able to stay for more than half an hour for breakfast. As it turned out I stayed for more than an hour with a wonderful batch mate and his excellent team of Officers who were in Madgaon for a meeting with the Petitions Committee of Parliament. BPT and I were regulars in the Squash Court of Railway Staff College as probationers. He broke his collar bone one day when his shoulder smashed into the side wall while chasing a down the line shot. I feared he may not venture into the Court anymore. How wrong I was. He was back as soon as the doctor certified that his collar bone had healed. He retains the passion for the game and is now getting a Court ready in the KRCL Residential Complex in Mumbai. KRCL is steaming full ahead under his stewardship. The most important project it is engaged in is the construction of the railway line in J&K. He mentioned about the engineering challenges in the project such as building a bridge 370 meters above the water table of the River Chenab. KRCL is engaged in using their tunneling and ventilation expertise for metro rail systems and building Road over Bridges. I had to make an effort to pull myself away from the informative and interesting interfaces to take the highway to Hubli.

I travelled on the excellently surfaced and maintained NH17 till just short of Ankola. Short of Karwar I was stopped at the Karnataka border by Inspectors carrying out checks to ensure that liquor is not ‘smuggled’ into the State. I lowered the car window on the passenger side and one of the Inspectors thrust his rather sharp bovine features (!) into the car to make a nasal and visual check. I was tempted to operate the power window to check how his features would enhance when additional blood is supplied to them. I restrained myself with a Boman Irani (Munnabhai MBBS) laugh and showed him the copy of Lonely Planet to explain that I am an All-India tourist. He was impressed enough to tell his Senior that I need not be ‘strip searched’. He was further impressed when I asked him directions to take the highway to Hubli. I was waved on. I am sure you are curious to know if I had liquor in the car. Let me confess: I hate breaking rules, but I also do get thirsty after 7 pm!!

The drive on the NH63 was excellent. I had left Madgaon at 9.15 and entered the city of Hubli at 1 pm. While the city had changed in many ways the hordes of buffaloes being herded through the busy city roads signaled that some things don’t. I parked at the Idgah Maidan and went into Kamat Hotel for Upma and Rose Milk, a luxury (it was pre 6^th Pay Commission days) I indulged in during some weekends in 2003-05. My accommodation was arranged in the ORH, where I had stayed during my entire stint in SWR. I had wonderful memories of the stay and hence, I was greatly disappointed in the manner in which the ORH is being maintained now. The room was dirty and dusty and the ORH does not have drinking water supply. I switched on the TV and could not view any channel. The ORH attendant told me that the connection has been severed due to pending bills. It was disappointing to see an excellent facility slowly, but surely, turning into a modern day Hampi.

The SWR was taking its initial steps as a Railway when I joined it in September 2003. All departments, including that of the General Manager, functioned from temporary shelters. It was almost impossible to get furniture and other office requirements. My office room was furnished with only a table and a chair with a side table to keep the computer. When visitors came calling it was the duty of the peons to shuffle personnel in the department and fetch chairs for visitors. During an inspection of a station near Hubli I came across comfortable station benches belonging to the MSMR (Madras and South Mahratta Railway) era wasting away. The Traffic Inspector got 2 of them over to Hubli, had a carpenter clean and polish them and set them in my room for visitors. They are still retained by the CFTM in the new office complex.

U Krishnamurthy and I were co-participants in a Management Programme at the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon. A brilliant student, an excellent shuttler and a warm human being he is presently the Senior Deputy General Manager of SWR. I spend considerable time with him and AS Rao, the CFTM, to appreciate the changes and the way SWR has shaped up over the years. The meeting with staff was an emotional one. These are the ones who had made my stay in Hubli memorable and comfortable. We were practically the project team and had weathered many tricky and critical situations under adverse situations. One gets very attached to such teams. I was and I continue so.

SWR is in a unique position today. It has constructed excellent residential facilities for Officers and staff, which has not happened in many of the other new railway systems. But it still does not have a permanent office, which all the others have. Only a portion of the new office is functional and I went there to meet the Chief Personnel Officer, Mohan Menon, a colleague and a good friend of many years. In his room I also met Baskaran, the Chief Communications Engineer, another friend of many years. Thanks to the efforts of Mohan I was able to meet my former Bungalow Peon, Pradepan, who is a Senior Head Clerk in the Personnel Branch.

Baskaran, a teetotaler, insisted that we retire to his house in the Colony to sample an unopened bottle of Scotch, which otherwise would have vaporized in a few years time. We spent a couple of hours discussing all matters ‘not official’ with Mohan and I gradually reducing the contents of the Scotch Bottle. Mrs Baskaran markets Tupperware. I had the occasion to see the wide range of the products in their home. By the time I left their house I had accepted their daughter as my ‘Guru’. Amreeta gave me the initial lessons in candle making.

DAY 115 – Rathnagiri to Panjim/Vasco (Goa)

Friends,

Room No. 1 in the KRCL ORH in Ratnagiri is designated as the MD’s Camp. It is primarily meant for his stay while on tour and for his special guests.  The room is comfortably fitted out and the service is excellent. Wherever I have stayed during the journey, except in accommodation provided by the Police in the North East (not the one with bars, of course!) and while staying with friends, I have insisted on being given a lock to secure the room when I move about. However, last evening when I was told that the GH staff will take care of the belongings when I am out for sightseeing, I agreed on the arrangement. I had asked for a cup of tea at 6 am and it arrived promptly a couple of minutes before the appointed hour. With the tea in hand I opened the door to the huge L-shaped balcony and was greeted by a jet of fresh, cool breeze. The ORH is surrounded on three sides by trees, which is dense in the North face. I luxuriated in the salubrious environment and watched the Sun rise in full glow. Such pleasures are not one’s fortune often. The early morning start was summarily dismissed from the schedule and replaced with one after sating the inner self.

Late starts also have their benefits. Because of it I was in time at the Raymonds shop, in close proximity to the main road, which had a sale going. I experienced that late starts could empty your pocket too. The heavy breakfast from the ORH digested on paying the bill at the store. Initially, as I left Ratnagiri, I decided to savor the countryside and drive slowly through it. This resolve lasted less than a half hour. Though the road was winding, undulating and in some places not too well surfaced I did the 250 kms in about four hours. The road condition on NH17 was quite good, particularly the Goa portion.

I had not tanked up fuel in Maharashtra as I thought that there was enough of it to get across the border, where it would be cheaper. I was desperately in need of fuel when I spied the border post. My racing heart calmed. After crossing the border there were Wine shops and Bars all over, but not a single Fuel Station was in sight. It was nearly 50 kms to Panjim and I feared I would run out of fuel if I were to drive on to reach the capital. My heart started racing again and I suspect it is that which provided the necessary momentum to reach the Fuel Station nearly 20 kms into the border. When I parked at the BP outlet I did not mind the rusted dispenser or the grouchy attendant. Fuel was the only focus. I was reminded of a scene from ‘The Party’ in which Peter Sellers sheds copious tears when he finds an empty loo to relieve his burdened bladder (which was later copied by many movie makers in India).

I stopped in front of the Secretariat in Panjim and quaffed water to signal my visit to the last State Capital during my journey of the country. Thus, all the 28 States of the Indian Union have been accounted for, their capitals visited and recorded. In fact, even though I covered the capitals of two States by visiting one location (Chandigarh) I had to travel to two locations in J&K (Jammu and Srinagar) and Maharashtra (Nagpur and Mumbai) to cover their capitals. Now I have only one Zonal HQ to cover before the journey ‘technically’ ends. The HQ of South Western Railway is Hubli, which was my last place of posting in the Indian Railways. Therefore, I consider it quite appropriate that the ‘technical’ part of the journey ends in Hubli. When I embarked on the journey the number of Railway Zones was 16. I learnt in Mumbai that Metro Railway, headquartered in Kolkota, was recently declared the 17^th Zone in the Indian Railway firmament.

After a late lunch of Rice and Fish Curry (Goan style) I went to Vasco Railway Station to meet the Area Officer, Rajkumar, who worked with me in the SWR HQ in the Commercial department. He was recently promoted to Group B and posted to Vasco. After exchanging info on the railways and the journey Rajkumar suggested a fix of coffee in a Café near the station. On the way I picked up four slabs each of Costaz Bebinca and doldol, the local delicacies.

My accommodation was arranged in the Mormugao Port Trust GH by the CME, Mr. Kuncheria, who had worked in Cochin Port Trust till a few years back as Assistant Traffic Manager. This is one of the most impressive GH locations in the Government Port sector. It affords fantastic views of the harbor and excellent walkways to keep one fit. But for me it was a couple of bottles of Baccardi Breezer.

DAY 114 – Mumbai to Ratnagiri

Friends,

There is a standing joke in the Railways that the wife of a Railway Officer can stay without the husband but cannot without the Bungalow Peon. Besides the privileges of free travel, well located accommodation and excellent medical facilities the Officer and his family get used to the ubiquitous BP. With domestic help becoming scarce the value of the BP goes up. The BP is an extremely useful person to have around in the house, especially when the lady of the house is employed. She/He becomes a confirmed railway employee often after 3 years of ‘probation’. In a Railway the ‘duty list’ of BPs has been published, apparently to prevent ‘misuse’! When I was to leave the Railways the BP thankfully did not enter the equation as my family and I had, by then, got used to a life without one for 10 years.

Girish had asked his BP to stay over so that I could be sent off with a cup of tea and breakfast. I insisted on having breakfast on the way and had a cup of tea after settling the luggage in the car. The car has become ‘over crowded’ with rocks and what not. Over the past three days I used Girish’s house as if I had owned the house. I left for Ratnagiri at 7 am. At the traffic junction in front of the VT railway station I rolled my window down and asked the driver of another car for direction to reach Vashi. He smiled radiantly and asked me to follow him. The guy weaved his way expertly through the traffic to get to Vashi in about an hour despite the movement of heavy vehicles. From there on the route to Goa/Panjim was sign posted adequately to lead me to the NH17 via the NH4. The two lane highway is well surfaced, but the congested movement of slow moving vehicles can test one’s patience. Accidents on this route are not uncommon with many road signs warning the user of either ‘accident site’ or ‘accident prone area’. I passed a ‘live’ accident site where a motorcyclist had lost his life ‘on the spot’ in a hit and run case.

Kanakasabapathy is a legendary Station Superintendent of Madras Central railway station, the most important rail terminus on Southern Railway. Located just beside the SR HQ office and the Madras Divisional Office further contributed to the stresses and strains on the official wearing the mantle of the SS Madras Central. Kanaka, as he was fondly called, was the SS when I was a probationary officer in Southern Railway. His flair for Public Relations, his amazing ability to trust his subordinates and build a responsive team provided lessons in management that I imbibed in a practical environment during those impressionable days in the Railways. The stories of his management of the Station are legion and a blog post is insufficient to even narrate one of them. Now 72, and threatening ‘not to go off in a hurry’, he has remained a good friend despite his superannuation and my Voluntary Retirement. While recapturing the events of the past few days I remembered a missed call from Kanakasabapathy. When I stopped for breakfast after Nagothane I called him up and was entertained for almost the whole of the next hour with anecdotes, humorous recap of some past events and liberal doses of praise. I had hoped to meet with him in Chennai on the 30^th but he informed me of his impending travel to Tirunelveli, his home town.

Ratnagiri is one of the two Regional Offices of Konkan Railway Corporation, the other one being Karwar. The KRCL is a brand built and nurtured by the ever youthful and effervescent E. Sreedharan. Bhanu P Tayal, my batch mate, is the MD of the Corporation now. Due to his many engagements I could not meet him in Mumbai. But I am enjoying his hospitality in the ORH of KRCL in Ratnagiri. Nagadath, the Regional Railway Manager was in office despite it being a holiday and I spent some time with him. He was kind enough to depute one of his Area Supervisors, RK Shete, to show me around the places of touristic importance.

The King of Burma was interned in Ratnagiri from 1885 by the British. He was permitted to build his own dwelling and he designed and supervised the construction of the Thibew Palace, where he and his family moved in by 1910. He lived there till he died in 1916. The Palace is built in Burmese style. Its upkeep is below par. The premise also houses a small Museum and some 6^th to 10^th century artifacts. It was Bal Gangadhar Tilak who gave the rallying cry for the freedom movement with his soul stirring slogan “Swaraj is my birth right and I shall have it”. His birth place within the city of Ratnagiri is preserved as a Museum and contains many interesting photographs. The photo of Lal, Bal, Pal (as the triumvirate of Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipinchandra Pal were known) and another of Tilak with MK Gandhi in 1915 during their first meeting adorn the walls of the Museum.

The Ratnadurg Fort offers magnificent views of the Arabian Sea and the jetties that service Ultratech Cement. The horse shoe shaped fort was built by the Bahmani kings but was a strong hold of Shivaji. The local administration is doing its bit to promote it as a tourist centre by developing a stepped garden on the slope of the Fort. The Bhagwati Temple inside the Fort is a place of worship. While exiting from the Fort Shete and I had an ice candy. This is the precursor of the modern day duet and ice stick. The ice candy is made of expertly shaped ice shavings with sugary syrup of one’s choice poured over it and into a glass. a stick is stuck into the shaped ice shaving to serve as a handle. I chose to have Kala Khatta, a grape flavor. The alternatives were Mango, Pineapple and Orange. One can even have a combination of flavors.

The Ganapatiphule Beach and Temple were the next in sight. The drive to the Beach through the new coastal route is heavenly, particularly at sunset time. SCJ had told me about the Aarey Varey (the names of two adjacent villages) Beach and I stopped at a view point to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the Beach and the setting sun. The Konkan Coast, Goa and the Malabar Coast are very similar in landscape, food habits and construction. The coconut tree fringed beaches, predominance of fish and rice in the diet and use of laterite bricks for construction of tiled houses provide the database for such comparison.

I drove like a maniac to reach the Ganapatiphule Beach just in time to digitally capture the final moments of the ‘Sun being devoured by the Dragon’. The dynamic natural art on the sky and the beach is a treat that one can never forget. Being Sankasthi Chaturdi there was a steady stream of worshippers to the Temple. The Ganesha idol in the Temple is believed to have been discovered over 16 centuries ago. Mouse is the vehicle of Ganesha. Just outside the Temple gate is a large brass statue of a mouse paying obeisance to the deity. It is believed that one’s wishes earnestly whispered into the ears of the statue are realized.

Shete took me to the MTDC restaurant for a typical Maharashtrian non-veg Thali. While waiting for it I made myself comfortable with a bottle of Beer. Shete was on fast due to the festival. When the Thali arrived I forced him to have a bowl of soup. The special preparation of Dal, Chicken and Cocum juice was polished off with Rotis and Rice. With Beer cooling the insides the drive back to the ORH was negotiated effortlessly!