Trip to Bangalore (Apr 2010)

Since my routine is more or less sedentary, any travel out of the ordinary is noted and remembered for a long time. A trip to Bangalore is nothing to write home about, since thousands do it on an almost weekly basis. This was an official visit – inspection of an electric panel in a prominent firm in Peenya Industrial Area, and I was reluctant to go at the very outset. The matter was informed to me by my boss on April 16, and upon enquiry it was seen that there is not much chance of getting a seat in train for almost two weeks. All I could manage was a third AC ticket on Garib Rath Express which was running at a very inconvenient time, reaching Aluva at 00.45 hrs! There was not much choice, so the ticket was reserved online. At Rs. 449, the cost is only 70% of the normal fare. However hard I tried, there was no possibility of getting an AC ticket for the return journey, so I contented with a sleeper ticket on the Intercity Express to Ernakulam leaving Bangalore at 6.15 hrs.

First day (Apr 27, 2010)

The Garib Rath was right on time, though the number of passengers to board from the station was meagre, owing to the call for a hartal on that day by the ruling party in Kerala. The communists’ farcical strikes on the flimsiest of reasons and the arrogance and violence-filled way in which they enforce them is to be noted by Amnesty International for the way in which they hold the populace to ransom. The all-India strike call was by the Marxists, so after leaving Kerala, there were no signs of any protest either in Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. The journey was not good, in the company of some Keralites settled in Bangalore who had lost all touch with Kerala and who seemed to have even forgotten their mother tongue! Irritating these skunks really were, and it wa nauseating to listen to their conversations and chit-chats in English. Each one had a huge luggage with them which caused them great hardships while alighting. Travelling light doesn’t occur to them and the baggages were as strong as their heads. Reached Yeshwantpura station at 12.00 hrs, 30 minutes behind schedule. Hired an auto to hotel and the first pangs of the unruly autorickshaw drivers in Bangalore became apparent. This hoodlum exacted Rs. 80 from me, whereas the meter showed only Rs. 65. All visitors should be beware of these nasty lot and as far as possible should avoid them. Checked in to Hotel Lucky Inn in Cottonpet Main Road near Majestic bus stand. Ordered a plate of vegetable fried rice in room and a pathetic sample of the dish arrived which was an ordeal to finish. Never in my life I have experienced a worse plate of fried rice. Thus refreshed, I set out to Peenya Industrial Area for the inspection.

At about 6.30 pm, the day’s work was over and returned to city centre by public transport. There was a heavy gale and rain at that time and I was almost drenched. Several trees were uprooted and the traffic jam was unbearable. It took 1 hr 45 min to travel a distance of 12 km! At 8.45 pm, reached Majestic and it was already uncomfortable. Went straight away to hotel room and went to bed after ingesting a cup of sugarcane juice and a packet of orange cream biscuits.

Second day (Apr 28, 2010)

Early next morning visited the company again to complete the official formalities and returned at 4.30 pm back to city. This time, the travel was smoother even though it crawled at a number of places. More than the number of vehicles, the narrow passage ways caused by construction work of elevated metro rail and elevated highways was the main source of traffic congestion. We may hope that once these megaprojects are over, the journey would be smoother. Took a sumptuous dinner from a nearby restaurant and retired for the day, with all official business over.

Third day (Apr 29, 2010)

Vacated the hotel at 5.30 am and walked to City railway station for the Intercity Express to Ernakulam which was scheduled to leave at 6.15 am. But the train was not in the platform even at 6.05 am and there was a large crowd there. As the train was coming into the platform, a person hurriedly came to me and asked whether that train would go to Ernakulam. When I said yes, he enquired whether I am a Malayalee and introduced himself as ‘Clever Thomas’ and presented a photo ID to prove the claim. One quick look at the ID was enough to convince anybody that it was a hoax and the man didn’t seem to be so clever! He said that his baggage, including money was on a bus to Ernakulam which left station as he alighted it for relieving himself. As he had no money, he wanted Rs. 98 to purchase a ticket so as to reach Ernakulam to get his baggage back. As I had fallen victim to such a hoax in Vijayawada 16 years earlier, and the memory of the incident still fresh in my mind, I at once refused to pay him anything. Having thus despatched him off, I boarded the train which left Bangalore at 7 am, 45 minutes late.

It was so hot and the journey was not at all comfortable. When it reached Coimbatore, the crowd was eased and reached Aluva at 5.10 pm after an eventless journey.