Passionate Railwayman, Compelling Storyteller; Compulsive traveller; Cultural Explorer. Watch out for Food posts and Lunchtime humour. Views strictly personal.
Joined June 2021
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Friends, finally, after some delay, my podcast with @kunalvijayakar on the History of the Bor Ghat railway line on @IVMPodcasts is live! It has come out well though the editing could have been a little better. I regret if there are any errors in the podcast. I would request you to watch it on YouTube in leisure (as it is 47 minutes long 🙂) and let me know how it came out! Thanks! 🙏 #podcast #IndianRailways #History
youtu.be/wVF2NIsF-DM?si=lgNH…
Believe it or not, I haven't read a single book of P.G.Wodehouse. #authors
Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in this world. Good morning, friends & have a great day ahead! #HappyMahanavami , everyone! 🙏 #MondayMotivation
Some LOVELY trivia -
1. Indian Government hiked the payment for the hangman from RS 10 to 5,000 just days before Kasab’s hanging.
2. Australia’s Cricketer Stuart Clark is of Indian origin. Both his parents, Bruce Clark and Mary Clark are Anglo-Indians.
3. A city name Jhumri Telaiya actually exists in Jharkhand.
4. There was a Great Hedge built by the British across India primarily to collect the salt tax. It was 4000 km long and 12 feet in height spanning from Punjab to Orissa. None of it remains today.
5. There is a village called Delhi in New York, USA. There is a city called Madras in Oregon, USA.
6. India has three Antarctic stations - Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri and Bharathi.
7. After United States, India has the largest number of English speakers.
8. During the battle of Rezang La in the 1962 Sino-Indian war a battalion called 13 Kumaon Regiment consisting of mere 120 soldiers led by the hero, Maj.Shaitan Singh PVC, held off 6000 Chinese with heavy artillery, killing 1300 of their soldiers.
9. “Bangalored” is a word in Oxford dictionary, which came up after heavy outsourcing to India took the world by storm.
10. Guindy College of Engineering, Chennai is one of the oldest Engineering Colleges in the world.
11. There is a village in Assam called Jatinga where over the last 100 years, thousands of birds have flown to their death on a small strip of land.
12. The average cost of census taking in India is $0.5 per person (US: $39, World Average: $4.6).
13. Under the “My Stamp” scheme, Indian Postal Department allows you to order personalized stamps with your picture on them. #India #trivia
Nice to see a long-cherished desire of rail passengers and enthusiasts bearing fruit! The Sengottai-Punalur line was one of the most scenic routes that were hitherto not covered by Vistadome! #IndianRailways #travel
Tahr, Tahr, and more Tahr! Nilgiri tahr is an endangered mountain ungulate (goat-like mammal) endemic to the high-altitude open grasslands and rocky cliffs of the southern Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
They move locally up and down steep rocky slopes and cliffs (typically between 1,200 and 2,600 meters elevation) depending on weather conditions, predator pressure, and the availability of fresh grasses and shrubs.
Project Nilgiri Tahr was launched by the Government of Tamil Nadu (with active cross-border ecological significance with Kerala) to conduct scientific monitoring, radio-telemetry studies, habitat restoration, and reintroduction into historical ranges. #NilgiriTahr #wildlife #Conservation
This Nilgiri Tahr turned out to be a star attraction on our trip to the Eravikulam National Park that houses the world’s largest surviving population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr.
Sauntering on the road leading to the edge of the sanctuary and walking confidently among the tourists, it stood on the stones and posed for photographs. It turned out to be quite a 'posemaster'. 🙂 #wildlife #NilgiriTahr
#DidYouKnow In the late 1860s, another company called Carnatic Railway Company, which was subsequently amalgamated into the South Indian Railway Company in 1874, built railway lines from Madras via Cuddalore to Tanjore and from Trichinopoly by Madura to Tuticorin.
In March, 1871, the north-western trunk line of the Madras Railway, running from Arkonam through Cuddapah to Raichur, was finished. Later on, after a decade of stagnation, this line met the one from GIPR coming from Bombay, thereby completing the connection of Bombay with Madras. #IndianRailways #History
#DidYouKnow In terms of the Resolution passed by the Proprietors of the Pondicheri Railway Company on 9th July, 1878, an agreement was entered into with the South Indian Railway on 25th March, 1879 for the maintenance of the railway line in the French territory of Pondicheri.
As per this agreement, the track was to be maintained, worked and provided with rolling stock by South Indian Railway Company. Despite the skirmishes and squabbles between the English and the French, this line continued to remain as a standing symbol of Anglo-French cooperation. #IndianRailways #History
Ananth Rupanagudi retweeted
Bhuvanagari Fort is one of the isolated monolithic rocks carved by the Western Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI and was thus named after him as Tribhuvanagiri. This name gradually became known as Bhuvanagiri and later just Bhongir in Telangana. #Heritage #History
The tradition of physically dropping off and picking up loved ones from the railway station or airport might seem like an unnecessary chore but this tradition remains deeply important in the modern age. It serves as a powerful antidote to the isolation of modern life, transforming a stressful logistical hurdle into a meaningful ritual of connection.
Booking an Uber for someone is convenient, but sacrificing your time and battling traffic proves that the person is a priority in your life. A warm embrace upon arrival or a final wave at the departure gate creates distinct, memorable beginning and ending points for a journey.
Spotting a friend or family member waiting at the arrivals gate instantly dissolves the anxiety of a long journey. A safe space to transition: The car ride home provides a private, quiet environment where the traveler can immediately decompress, vent about delays, or excitedly share stories from their trip.
The captive environment of a car ride or a wait on a train platform encourages deep, focused conversation without the distraction of screens. Sharing the transition: It allows you to participate in a major moment of their life—whether they are leaving for a massive new opportunity or returning home after a long absence.
Offering a ride establishes a culture of mutual support. It reminds both parties that they belong to a network of people who care for one another. In a world focused on efficiency, choosing a minor inconvenience for the sake of someone else's comfort is a beautiful act of love. #droppingoff #pickup #tradition
Appa always used to pick up and drop people. His side of the family or my mother's, it never mattered. Railway station, bus stand, airport- picking up and dropping off was his thing.
I grew up watching him, then joining him on these trips, and somewhere along the way, it became my thing too. For about 25 years now, I've been doing it willingly, out of my own choice.
On my wife's side, no one does this. My friends and cousins don't either. They all ask me the same question: "Why the hell are you doing it?" Why take the trouble when people can make their own way, especially in today’s day and age of Uber and Ola?
Of course they can. That's never been the point.
Appa was doing more than getting people from one place to another. Watching him, I learnt that caring for people could look like going to the station, waiting for a train, or driving someone to the airport.
They don't need me to do it. I want to be there. That's yet another part of Appa I've chosen to carry forward.
This Nilgiri Tahr turned out to be a star attraction on our trip to the Eravikulam National Park that houses the world’s largest surviving population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr.
Sauntering on the road leading to the edge of the sanctuary and walking confidently among the tourists, it stood on the stones and posed for photographs. It turned out to be quite a 'posemaster'. 🙂 #wildlife #NilgiriTahr
1. Sanctuaries must calculate and strictly adhere to daily vehicle and visitor caps per zone. Ticket sales should be managed entirely via centralised online booking portals to eliminate over-booking.
2. Divide sanctuaries into core, buffer, and tourism zones. Periodically shift or rotate open routes to allow habitats to recover and prevent vehicle clusters around single animal sightings.
3. Install GPS tracking on all registered safari vehicles. Forest rangers can use this real-time data to monitor vehicle speeds, prevent illegal off-roading, and stop drivers from grouping up at one location.
4. Implement higher entry and vehicle fees during weekends, public holidays, and peak safari seasons (like summer months or long weekends). Higher costs during peak windows incentivise budget-conscious travellers to visit during the middle of the week or in off-peak months.
5. Phase out private or small gypsy-style open jeeps in high-traffic zones in favour of high-capacity, low-emission, or electric shuttle buses. This instantly decreases the total number of vehicles on a forest track while moving the same number of people.
6. Reduce pressure on the actual forest tracks by offering activities outside the primary sanctuary gates. Build nature interpretation centres, bird-watching boardwalks, canopy walks, and guided eco-trails in the buffer or community zones.
7. Train and empower local communities to act as certified guides, drivers, and trackers. When local youth are incentivised by sustainable livelihoods, they enforce sanctuary rules more stringently, preventing illegal tracking or rowdy tourist behaviour.
8. Make it mandatory for every tourist group to undergo a brief, visual orientation or watch an educational film before entering the sanctuary. Signage and briefings should highlight the fines and legal penalties under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for littering, shouting, or getting too close to animals. #WildlifeConservation #tourism
This is a safari??!!
It's worse than a parkin lot in mussorie or Shimla.
At this rate just allow open passage... How stupid..
#wildlife #safari #Rajasthan
Magnificent Munnar - II!
Munnar is such a photogenic hill station - so easy on the eyes and on the lens! #Munnar #landscapephotography #vacation
Lunchtime humour - This morning at 8:00 am, I received a phone call:
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"Are you hungry, sir?"
"Yes", I said.
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Actually I was, as I hadn't had my breakfast yet.
"But, why you did you ask?"
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"It's a part of preparing data for Global Hunger Index, sir. Thank you sir, for your feedback !" 😀😛😂
And then we moan that even Turkey gets almost 5 times more foreign tourists than us, despite our diverse landscape, architectural wealth, and an 8000-year civilization. #foreigntourists #tourism
Condition of Mcleod Ganj.
Next time you hear someone saying Switzerland.. Send this video.
Himachal needs to start promoting trash tourism now.. Come volunteer to clean and get a room and food for free for a few days.
#himachalpradesh #tourism #himalayas
1870s,Walkeshwar Temple, Malabar Hill, Bombay (Mumbai). The Walkeshwar Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama paused at Malabar Hill while searching for his abducted wife, Sita. Needing to worship Lord Shiva but lacking an idol, he fashioned a Lingam out of sand (valuka) from the beach.
The name Walkeshwar comes from the Sanskrit words Valuka Iswar, meaning "Lord of the Sand". When Rama became thirsty and found only saltwater nearby, he shot an arrow (baan) into the earth to summon an underground freshwater spring from the underworld (Patal Ganga), creating the adjacent Banganga Tank.
The original temple and the stone steps of the Banganga Tank were built during the reign of the Silhara dynasty by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court. The original temple was destroyed by the Portuguese army during their occupation of the region. The complex was rebuilt and reconsecrated by Rama Kamath (Ramji Kamath), a prominent Gaud Saraswat Brahmin philanthropist and merchant under East India Company rule.
Photographer - Samuel Bourne. #Mumbai #temple #history @mumbaiheritage @dhavalkulkarni
Timing is everything. If it's meant to happen, it will, at the right time, for the right reasons. Good morning, friends, and have a great #Sunday! 🙏 #SundayMotivation
Very few children of Indian political leaders do so well in academics, studying in India. Obtaining the 40th rank in CLAT and passing out of NLSIU is a great achievement. Speaks so much even about the proud parents! #academics
Today, I was simply a proud dad.
Watching Nandil receive his law degree at NLSIU Bengaluru this morning brought back so many memories.
I still remember when he first told Riniki and me that he wanted to take a year off to prepare for CLAT. The father in me had a few questions and, admittedly, a few worries too. But he knew what he wanted, believed in himself, and gave it his all. He went on to secure an All India Rank of 40 in CLAT, reminding us both how important it is to trust our children’s choices.
We spend years guiding our children, only to discover just how much they teach us along the way.
Today, my heart is full. So proud of you, Nandil. Go write your next chapter.
