Skip to main content

How we missed our train - Almost, that is ...

Vijaya and I had gone to Bangalore during Feb - March 2009. (know more about this). We were to return to Chennai on 21st March by Brindavan Express. Departure time was 2-30 PM.

On 21st, we and Ashok-Neeraja had an early lunch at 12 noon, and started at 1-00 PM from house for City station. Neeraja drove the car. We were smug as we had nearly 1 1/2 hours to cover the 16 km. Oh, we didn't expect the notorious Bangalore traffic-jam to upset our apple cart.

For the first 5 km, it was a smooth travel, but once we turned left from Dairy Circle into Hosur Road, the traffic snarl started. As the car moved inch by painful inch, we started having sweat and tense. Suddenly it was 2-20PM and we were still 2 to 3 km away from station. What a huge traffic snarl!

We were sure we would miss the train; Ashok-Neeraja decided to try Bangalore Cantonment station and so Neeraja turned and went towards Cant station. As she parked the car, it struck us that we had landed on the wrong platform (there are just two PFs in Cant); oh God, we had to climb the footbridge ! Ashok with his recently fractured leg hobbled on with our suitcase climbing the steps. Excruciating pain. Then I took the suitcase from him and we three "ran" on the bridge.
As we were climbing down, the train arrived. Unfortunately for us, our AC coach was in the very front!! We got into the nearest coach when the train started moving! We were in D8 coach and we had to carry the suitcase along 9 coaches as the train was speeding along before we could see our C3 coach. Finally, we found our seats and sat, so relieved. Vijaya who carried the heavy suitcase had back pain during the night.

Thus, we had our taste of the notorious bangalore traffic jam - we will never forget this.

Rajappa
23 March 2009 at 8-30PM

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Anna Centenary Library, Kotturpuram

ANNA CENTENARY LIBARARY (அண்ணா நூற்றாண்டு நூலகம்) is a newly established State Library of Tamilnadu. It was declared open on 15th Sept 2010. Located in Kotturpuram, Chennai. This last Sunday, 1st May 2011, we hit upon the idea - we will go and see this library. No serious reason, but a sudden whiff of fancy. Vijaya, her old classmate and friend Mrs Prema, and I left house at 3-30PM. A bus upto Madhya Kailash, and an auto thereon, left us at the gates of this huge, beautiful building at 4 PM. From the outside, it was immensely impressive and imposing - maybe of 9 or 10 floors, exquisitely constructed. As we walked the lawns to reach the Main Entrance, the interest in us was bubbling. (Caution: Handbags, Cameras are strictly prohibited. Even waterbottles are not allowed inside the halls.) There is a 5-feet bronze statue of Mr CN Annadurai, in whose name and honour this library is built. This is the Tamilnadu Chief minister Mr M Karunanidhi's pet project and he, as usual, has ov...

Dr. MUTHULAKSHMI REDDY

Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy The road from Adyar Signal to Thiruvanmiyur signal (in Chennai) is called Lattice Bridge Road (LB Road); this English name was re-christened as Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Road long back, but the old English name only prevails now. Who is this Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy? In the princely state of Pudukkottai there lived Narayanaswami Iyer who married a devadasi by name Chandramma - this marriage created a sensation that time. To this couple, eight children were born out of whom four died as infants. Muthulakshmi was one that survived (born: 30 July 1886). M's sister Nallamuthu, learned English, went on to study in UK, became a Professor in QMC, Chennai, and later its Principal - the first Indian principal of QMC. Muthulakshmi went to a school in Pudukottai till the age of 13; later she studied at home tutored by teachers. She passed matriculation in the year 1902. She started dreaming about becoming a graduate. Bur her father, with meagre pension could not send her ...

U Ve Swaminatha Iyer - A Tribute

U Ve Swaminatha Iyer A TRIBUTE to The Patriarch of Tamil. This morning, let me talk about the TAMIZH THATHA, Sri UV Swaminatha Iyer. A tribute, on his 150th birth anniversary. The original texts of a number of literary works of the Sangam period (1st and 2nd Century AD) came to public notice only towards the end of the 19th century, when they appeared in print form. Until then, works such as Aymperum Kaappiyangal (the five great epics) – Silappathikaram, Manimekalai, Kundalakesi, Jeevaka Chintamani, and Valaiyapathi were in the form of palm leaf manuscripts in the possession of scores of families living across Tamilnadu and outside. They didn’t have the skill to read the manuscripts, and, therefore, did not realize the literary worth. The palm leafs were allowed to rot. The need to hunt for the missing palm leaf manuscripts and bring to light the hidden treasure of Tamil literature was deeply felt. Foremost among those who undertook this formidable task was Mahamahopadhyaya Uttamadhana...