[sidindica]

Travelling over the chambal river is priceless. Blue is the new green. Blue river with clear blue sky reflection backed by sunshine over meri desh ki dharti..meri desh ki dharti ugle sona ugle heere moti...

We then start approaching the western ghats. No, don't expect xobile to bore you with which stations the train crossed..since I am yet to get familiar with the route.

The landscape is just awesome, the tough and rigid mountains are feast to your eyes and isn't it time to rediscover this incredible India?

While that kid continues to irritate I take my food and evening approaches. Man! Kya scene hai..yeh shaam mastaani, madhosh kiya jaa..time to take out and click a perfect shot!

The eventful first day of journey is drawing to a close, but the next part in xobile's railway chronicles will continue in chapter 4, to be penned down soon.

[amitwlele]

Summer has just started and the Chambal river is almost dried up. Or has it been this way for years with water level receeding? Not been on this route hence this stupid question.

[ajay_satpute]

Nice one Sid. Enjoying every bit of it. The pics are very good. Capturing candid beauty of Indian geography.

The experience inside Indian trains on a long journey is usually the same for all, with few exceptions. You will have annoying people, crying babies, spoilt brats, chit-chatting aunties.

I remembered one scene happened with us en route Kolkata. After the train left some unknown station, suddenly there were these 3-4 third genders. I was on the upper most birth, my other friend on the middle and the "cutest" looking friend on the lower birth. The third genders prefer the cutest ones. So he/she started asking for money and then started irritating my friend. So my friend tries to shoe them away and what happens...this third gender person gives a TIGHT slap to our friend. We called the police and they throw this menace on the platform on the next station. Damn...it was scary.

[Punzabi]

!Xobile..the name with the click..hahaha.my apologies if you are referring to someone else but you just reminded me Russel Peter's episode on !xobile.

Jokes apart, you just made my day Sid. I am glued to this thread for two reasons, first !xobile and second your Travelogue. I found train and stations pics more interesting that any other. For some reason trains just wake up the kid inside me and take me back to the sweet memories of childhood train travel. Excellent narration by the way and yeah keep the pics coming..

[sidindica]

CHAPTER FOUR.
THE JOURNEY ENTERS THE SECOND DAY.

March 25, 2010, 7 AM. The sun shines in the morning sky and I get up to the glistening daylight of the peninsular India.

Shaant mahaul, nice sunny weather though still kool, train is running an hour late. Somehow I am not in a mood for such an early breakfast yet mom forces me and I take 8 pooris at one go and head towards clicking the landscape...while mom and dad read autocar india and play with a cute 2 year old boy sitting on the row behind me. Maybe those were the days..the golden days of bachpan...

The area is full of low lying peaks and plateaus.

A small village is crossed, and there we get to see the essence of our real India..simplicity, back to basics..kids going to school on bicycles, the peaceful, calm and quiet village life, everything is simple and understated.

God created creatures equal...perfect equilibrium is maintained in this awesome spectacle. Looks quite cute, ain't it so?

I turn my attention towards the train itself..when it turns, the scene created is just as mesmerizing. Click these random shots and am surprised by the results. The second image just happened by chance..luck by chance.

Time passes and we now arrive in Maharashtra, finally. The station name catches my instant attention.

Perhaps there's one thing between xobile and this station..sense of humour.
Holy cow..40 villages junction..or is it a converging point for 40 villages?
The halt is just brief citing signal conflict, but nevertheless a sign of things to come..

The train departs, en route to its first landmark en route to shirdi. The morning is progressing, and the train gathers speed and is on the way to MANMAD.

As the station approaches, the spectacle becomes spectacular....

[sidindica]

MANMAD

Manmad is the first important landmark for many tourists en route to shirdi. Located approx 50-60 kms, the Jhelum express stops for about 20 minutes. Many tourists get down and leave, the coach becomes half empty and some people get into en route to Pune.

I go there and take the famous 10 rupee ka vada pav...kinda remember something funny that happened on TV and suddenly a beggar comes and asks me for a vada pav..I show him a 2 rupee coin and he is pretty finicky and begs me to feed him a vada-pav..."jai sai ram..jai sai ram.." I say and get inside to avoid him.
I somehow remember this 6 year old kid whose mom reportedly ate "vada pav" before she was born whilst I enjoy having this delicious quizzing. Waah..kya taste hai..utterly butterly delicous!

The train departs and then I get to see something awe inspiring.

A mountain with a pointed top. Bhagwan ji ki kripa hai. This is nature at its best. Awesome silhouette.

Just half an hour to go, and the train is now en route to our final destination stop, kopargaon..en route I get some chance to again click the earth's beautiful lines of wisdom.

Time to take some last shots of our Jhelum express, as kopargaon approaches...

The train reaches Kopargaon, and finally its time to deboard. It reaches at 10:30 am on March 25, exactly an hour late. And bang opposite to our train the Goa express is standing.
Time to say goodbye to the 25 coach leviathan and time to cross the line from rail to road.

Perhaps, isn't it time to say Tata to chapter 4 and welcome tatas in chapter 5?
Find out more about our shirdi darshan, in chapter 5, coming up next.

[snaronikar]

Good picturelog. Eagerly awaiting the shirdi pics...Was following you in FB though..

[dot]

Originally Posted by Punzabi

!Xobile..the name with the click..hahaha.my apologies if you are referring to someone else but you just reminded me Russel Peter's episode on !xobile.

@Punzabi, I had the same question. Is !xobile pronounced the same way?

@sid, The pictures are fabulous. Somebody said that if you really wish to know India, take a cross country train journey (maybe from Gandhi movie). It is really true.