Heading to the mountains is always a thrill, but a journey there by train turns out to be another adventure for at least first timers. My recent visit to my sister’s home at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University for Raksha Bandhan proved to be a masterclass in mountain transit. The university is some 50 km
The Scenic Sprint from Katra to Jammu Read More »
The other day, a friend of mine was searching for an overnight train from Lucknow to Haldwani and back. While the Bagh Express certainly fits the bill, securing a berth is nearly impossible due to the heavy rush. The only viable alternative is the Lucknow–Kathgodam Express. However, there is a catch: it departs Lucknow late
The Nainital Express: A Trip Down Memory Lane Read More »
Village life My work included interviewing people in different villages over the next three days for preparing a document for a client. These villages were in three clusters: near Askote, near Jauljibi towards Munsiyari and near Dharchula. My guide for these visits was a young man Vinod Ojha from Helipya village. He would take me
One place on earth where I am always ready to go is Uttarakhand. Once again, I packed my bags and hit for the mountains on an assignment. As soon as overnight train from Lucknow to Kathgodam reached Lalkuan in the morning, ‘change’ could be sensed. Once ubiquitous, but now almost extinct, on most rail route,
Some trips on the trains of the public mover, Indian Railways, become ‘memorable’ for wrong reasons. When I say public mover, I do not mean Vande Bharat, Rajdhanis and Shatabdis; they are class movers between class places. By public mover I mean ordinary express and passenger trains which stop at every 20-30 km or at
Journey in Agitator Read More »
