...rendezvous with the Coromandel Coast.....

.........With three generations in Indian Railways , grandpa having served Colonial EBSR & EIR ( East Bengal State Rly & East Indian Rly), with Pa serving ER , my ER association @DNR though brief was satisfying....no wonder the fmly crisscrossed the Nation on vacations & my Father's favorite PASS route would be frm DBRT(Dibrugarh Town )
to CAPE(Kanniyakumari)....with Mining Engineer Maternal Grandpa based in GUDUR(AP), his last posting aft having served in Bhilwara (Raj)& Koderma(Jharkhand)overseeing a host many Mica Mines of Nellore Dist.as his final assignment of 14 long yrs, it was natural for Ma to visit her parents with us in tow on vacations to AP via Madras  yr aft yr......thus began our long affair with the South, exposing us to a difft terrain, culture & of course food......the midnite stoppage of the Madras Mail frm Howrah at Gudur Jn was 2mts & always we were doubly alert in detraining with sleepy eyes lest we get overcarried .....Maniratnam & Venkatachalam were omnipresent at all our arrivals with a white color Fiat taxi to take us to Grandpa's residence full 25kms deep inside.....Taxi fare of Rs 10 was gratefully accepted by the driver...the past midnite arrival @ Nrityakalyani Mica Mines with Grandma & Grandfather eagerly & anxiously waiting for us is so well etched in memory ..ripe banana ,biscuit s & aroma of filter coffee permeated at those wee hrs.....how Happy we were to be thr exploring the mines in the morn...with we kids well known thr with Ramola Amma with a big red bindi nd loaded with gold carrying me in her arms much to my shyness & discomfort since I had grown up well enough since my last visit....the Chichinda (snake Gourd)plantation  nd really abode to snakes & reptiles were a scary part of the bungalow nd Polaiya would carry me on his shoulders much to my comfort.....the APSRTC Bus trip to Renigunta for onward journey to TIRUMALA for BALAJI Darshan & stay for a couple of nites with tonsuring of our hairs :no wonder we three brothers derived our names from Tirumala.....!!!!!

.....Hope & Despair....!!!

......as the new formation took charge of India amidst high hopes, despair & a pall of gloom descended as nearly forty fellow Indians perished near Gorakhpur in a railroad accident.....dampening the spirit.....benumbing & forcing me to a huddle.....the perished were not VIPs but migrant labour force returning back home.....whn u function in a limit with limited means ,u calculate to make ur ends meet.....having left their homes to seek greener pastures , taking the train frm Delhi with hopes nd happiness to reunite with familiar environs of frnds & fmly...their limited quest for happiness truncated abruptly.....blessed with a huge populace & manpower, I thought we r lacking in sensitivity towards a loss of this magnitude.....time to introduce national mourning to drive home msgs tht wht we feel for fellow countrymen.....the New Rly Min. experiencing baptism by fire hv talked of Safety First......its a step which is most imp. now tht the operations r huge & on fast track outpacing the much needed overhaul, Maintenance, research & development .......quoting John Donne.

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee......" John Donne....."....

......the Land of the Golden Dreams....!!!!

......from the Hindukush & Karakorram Ranges in the West .....to the Arakan & Pegu Yomas in the East...& mighty Himalayas to the North....the cradle of civilization so nurtured ,protected frm the cold winds of the Tibetan & Gobi deserts far North , the free flowing rivers inundating the plains with its rich alluvial soil , the impregnable plateau, the Ghats chiseling out a contour of a Civilization with its people so varied yet cocooned & united by this massive topography.....!!!!.....year after year the marauders attracted by this unique land invaded ,fell in love, adopted & became one of its kind....thus flowed prosperity, music, literature, ancient spirituality ,copiously thru out the ages.....& a truly cosmopolitan ,universally accepted culture of acceptance & Liberalism ,hallmark to the Subcontinent..... constricted thoughts & bigotry  foreign & a far cry, for its simply not in the system.....hence all fell to the charm & spirit of the Land so much Blessed in bounty.....!!!.....dismembering the Land & its spirit was a futile attempt, for the Water & Soil ,nurtured by the great rivers were the same,the poets & their paens same....the free flowing music of the bards same....the Rock Solid Ancient Spirit called India....!!!!....Long Live...!!!!!

......people's verdict....

....now tht all the heat & dust hv settled....the moot point is, whether, the democratic system of governance with too much stress on one Leader to lead & deliver in a time frame is out of date , more like the autocratic dispensation of the bygone centuries....leading to fallacies nd frustrations amongst the plebs whn the Leader fails....India needs more decentralisation, in devolution of Power & true Lok shakti (People's Power) should emanate frm the grass roots as envisaged by the Mahatma long time back.....now,its time for the New dispensation to initiate measures to Usher in people's involvement at the grass roots with indigenous, unique solutions particular to tht area....the concept of looking towards a particular Leader or formation ,to deliver the goods by waging a magic wand , by the general public is bad theory, prone to disillusionment ...truly Independence at the grassroots should be our goal in deciding the future of our progeny.....to watch out will be how India marches scientifically ,professionally in every sphere,til 2019,. involving all strata of people....the idea is every Indian child must stand on his feet firm nd not look towards any Govt. or any Leader for solutions.....must inculcate & support such independent thoughts.....

" ....A Train to Quilon...."......the 21 bogey load.....!!!!

......the color green of the coaches with cream color stripes.....the thick lush tropical rainforest & the meandering train to Quilon .....the midnite embarking at an important rail head with palpable excitement....the four berth compartment & a coupe of two berths to accomodate the fmly of seven :three brothers & two sisters....the Electric Loco pulling the train like a giant , the Home , Starter & Advanced Starter signals all Green glowing & egging the Giant with its meandering load to an open thru section....the platforms flash by nd disappear in a jiffy.....propping up on the pillow nd a slight opening of the glass pane window....could see sleepy villages, unmanned crossings as the overhead traction post fly past ,so fast, to defy me a decent counting....but thn the starry nite & the moon .....insufficient for a proper read....as the juggernaut pulls on.....the first rays of Sun thru the windows & the Tropical lush green of the Ghat section welcoming you to a very Gud Morn!!....the rivulets nd streams oozing frm the cracks of formidable granite of tunnel walls with the thick aroma of  Diesel now tht the beast being hauled by a Diesel Locomotive changed at some point at nite for this formidable section.....the underneath equally meandering highway with lumbering & laboring trucks all up against the steep climb.....competing with the train.....ample opportunity for them to catch up whn the Outer Signal is Red....nd the train hissing & panting at a steep bend.....craning our necks ,could count the 21 bogey load rt frm the Parcel van to the LV......!!!!!

......the Status Report...!!!!

......the sight of few passengers alight frm a local taxi nd scampering for cover in rain......the pitter patter raindrops on adjacent terraces , the Golf cap of a mini version of umbrella; the body drenched in fine spray of rain droplets nd an unmanageable umbrella whn the showers r real smart in tandem with the sea breeze now acquiring force.....thts the status here.....the hide & seek of Sun & Clouds at peak now..&..the turncoat called the Deep Blue matching step by step....the color azure, sapphire, pitch black ,emerald all unfolding.....all in abundance & exuberance....!!!!

.....as the gruelling Electioneering comes to an end @Homeland 1....its time for the outcome...the electioneering was petty & personal nd no real issues are debated....with pressure groups like AAP....the new dispensation won't have cake walk for sure....
The moot point is understanding the demography of the country, the rampant heterogeneity ,of different region of different Economic strata...India is a difficult model to govern....with its disparity in delivery system of Health ,Education & Finance....now, is the time to accept the truth of a billion populace with non uniform resource distribution....but its time to Love ur country more, dedicate more, know her more, interact with her more, appreciate her more....for we r a race steeped in History,tradition ,culture & a spirited soul called India..no other place will offer u so much in terms of Re discovery, unraveling mines of information,to satiate the thirst of being an Indian....in our own humble way we will re dedicate ourselves to Nation Building..!!!