Little Sparks

Excuse me! Has the train crossed Whitefield? The excitement attached to a train journey begins the minute you book your ticket.  With IRCTC offering e-ticket facility, one can easily book the tickets without much hassle, from the comfort of homes.  The journey of a ticket  itself is enough to kindle the interest in the traveler.     One keeps checking the PNR status now and then.  From Waiting list to RAC (Reservation against Cancellation) to a Confirmed ticket finally...   Coach C3..Seat 25  Train No.22625 Chennai - Bengaluru Double Decker  .  Y ou get goosebumps once you get the SMS from Indian Railways after the preparation of  final chart.  There are a few others who book tickets only if  confirmed accommodation is available in the train and the class of their choice.  Some, who are unable to plan their travel well in advance opt for Tatkal where the probability of getting confirmed tickets is brighter, ...

                                                                  The Cookie-savvy Crow I wake up as early as five in the mornings to prepare breakfast and lunch for the family. A typical Indian working woman, I would wake up my better half too, offering him a cup of coffee and a bunch of veggies for slicing and dicing.  The frenzy of mustards and the aroma of sambar fill the air,  attracting this coveted guest, none other than our beloved 'Biscotha'.  No sooner I open the kitchen window, this cute visitor would come and sit on the sunshade slab looking for its favorite snack.  It is a specially challenged crow.  A real fighter, this one-legged bird would grab the 'cookie' (Didn't I say it's his breakfast, lunch and dinner) that I place in a whisker and fly way.  There is not enough space on the...

                                          The nostalgia   of train journeys:      Nilgiri Mountain Railway I spent most of my childhood in Ooty, a naturally abounding hill station on the 'Queen of Hills'.  It is also called the Blue Mountains or simply 'The Nilgiris'!  The ineffable charm of Nilgiris and its UNESCO-listed Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) always fascinates me.  Until I was eight, I never got a chance to travel on the coveted toy train that runs between Ooty and Mettupalayam. And, while we were relocating to 'Singara Chennai', I got that most amazing opportunity. Thenceforth, I have travelled many times to the coveted hill station.  Yet, I turn nostalgic every time my mother recalls our days in the lap of nature.   Nilgiri Mountain Railway has transcended the barriers of time.   To this day, this technologi...