Mumbai monsoon wear : experiences

The rainy season in Mumbai is a particularly challenging one. One has to be fully equipped to just get by. Most of the problems are faced by people who commute. Like delayed or no train services, flooded streets, and open manholes. To add to it, on some days, there are heavy rains accompanied by strong winds.

All this makes it tricky to decide how to commute. Some experiences:

Commuting:
Taking the suburban local train to commute can be quite frustrating. Trains, especially on the Central Railway (CR), are often delayed. Half-an-hour of rain is enough to delay services on the CR. The excuse, often read in newspapers, is that CR runs through areas that are low-lying. The tracks get flooded.

It seems that the problem is not that of tracks getting washed away or that of trains being derailed, but is that of an electrical nature. The rain water causes the signal circuitry to be completed triggering off the same conditions that are used to detect a train crossing over a signal point. This causes all the signals to be red - causing ambiguity as to whether a train is present on the next section, or whether the signal has turned red because of the water.
(In long-distance trains, it is then left to the guard to decide whether to break the signals. The pilot has to get the guard to sign an "ok to proceed" order before breaking the red signal. In the suburban section, however, I think other rules may be followed since this is such a common occurrence during the monsoons.) Obviously, the motorman has to pilot the train slowly since there might really be another train ahead. The leads to delays.

Commuting by buses is the safest option. This was also demonstrated during the 26th July 2005 deluge. Any other mode of transport, especially rickshaws, could cause trouble since a lot of water does really get collected in the so-called "low-lying" areas. Of course, the problem is that there are no gutters or the ones that are there are clogged. The slope of the road does not seem to favor water draining into the drains.

Rain protection:
This one is a favorite one. There are many options: umbrellas, raincoats, jackets, jackets + rain-proof trousers.

Umbrellas are the most popular ones: one can fold them and carry them; there are ones that are really small when folded. However, the biggest problem is that Mumbai winds and rains are enough to drench one waist downwards. In practice, the head is the one and only part of the body that the umbrellas prevent from being wet. Besides, when its windy, it is difficult to keep the umbrella straight...it is always blown over.

Over the years, I've tried almost all of these options. When I was a kid, the raincoat was the preferred form of rain protection. The raincoat that was usually made from some plastic material. Though they protect the clothes from being wet, the raincoat made it difficult to walk. In addition, if it did not rain, one would feel very hot wearing a raincoat. Another problem was that since it was made from plastic, it would tear.

For many years when I started working, I used the folding umbrella. While it was easy to carry, it made me wet almost completely in a heavy shower. A few years ago I switched to a rain jacket. The jacket was a cheaper one made of 2 layers of plastic. This one gets torn quickly if one is not careful. However, it did a good job in keeping me dry. The problem is that when it does not rain, I find myself wet due to heavy sweating. I am aware that there are some expensive ones available (Dockers, etc.) that I haven't tried. These seem comfortable and also seem to keep one dry.

The wind cheaters are better in this regard. They do not feel hot when it does not rain. However, they are not effective at all in keeping out the rain - heavy showers ensure that water gets in making one wet completely.

Though jackets protect the upper part of the body, it does not protect the lower part. To do so, I started using a rain trouser. This trouser is usually worn on top of the regular trousers. This, in combination with the jacket, does a perfect job in keeping me dry. The problem is that of putting on the rain trouser when it starts raining. If I wear it before I venture outdoors, it feels very hot if it does not rain.

Footwear:
Footwear is very important during the rains. Especially considering that one has to sometimes walk through ankle-deep waters. The water that gets collected on the streets usually is dirty - one can sometimes see floating garbage in the water...not to mention all the other things the water would be mixed up with. In all cases, it is essential to wash one's feet properly when one reaches back home.


As a kid, I have used "gum boots". These are boots that are ankle-high. They are water proof, and extremely rugged. The problem is that if one wades through water that is more than the height of the boots, all the water would enter the boots. One has to then drain the water off - the boots would continue to make a "slish-slosh" sound till they have water in them. The gum boots would cause "shoe bite", and feel extremely hot if it did not rain.

Open sandals are another option that I've tried. These feel nice even if it does not rain. Even if one has to wade through water, the open sandals let the water drain out. That way, both the sandals and the feet dry up quickly. However, the slightest water collected on the street comes in direct contact with the feet, making one feel quite dirty.

Closed shoes offer some more options. I've tried various types: sports shoes, all-weather shoes, and the rubber ones. This year, I tried the closed rubber shoe variety - a very cheap one made by Lakhani Shoes (only about Rs. 110). While I was apprehensive, they did offer me the best protection on most days. If there is a lot of water, these shoes fail to keep the water out, but on most days, the water level isn't that high...and I found these to offer the best for the cost. The only problem was the initial "shoe bite" that I had to endure, but at the end of this rainy season, the shoes look good enough to offer service for another season too.

Some years ago I had tried an "all-weather shoe" made by Bata (Power range). Though it felt very comfortable, it failed to last even a single season. It tore off. Also, it failed to keep the feet dry if it rained heavily. And once the shoes became wet, they did not dry off quickly.

Convo over...

Its official...the "Master of Technology" degree was conferred on me by the IIT Bombay in its 46th Convocation ceremony held on 08.08.08, in its golden jubilee year. The chief guest was the President of India (Smt. Pratiba Patil).

Using the GO Mumbai Smart Card on the suburban railways

Update (2011-06-03): This post is no longer valid as the railways have now withdrawn the usage of the GO Mumbai (B.E.S.T.) Smart Card on the railways.  The railway ATVM card continues to  see popular  usage.
 
This post is a follow-up to the others related to the Mumbai Smart Card (see other posts here, here, and here). I see from the hits on this blog that some people are searching for information on how to use the SmartCard on the suburban railway section. Though this is a bit late (I was busy), here is the information about how to use the SmartCard on the suburban lines. Please do read the cons as well (scroll below) before deciding to use this.

The B.E.S.T. SmartCard (also known as the "GO Mumbai SmartCard") can be used on Mumbai Suburban railway lines too. However, there are some things that are important in this regard. I will first explain the way the card is supposed to be used. Then, I will list down the cons in using it this way. (Oh! this style of writing, I picked up while writing my technical reports and thesis...it'll take me sometime to get rid of it).

At the outset, let me tell you that the "GO Mumbai SmartCard" is NOT the same as the "ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) Card" also used on the suburban railways.

The steps in using the Card for suburban rail travel are:

• Get yourself a Card, if you do not yet have one. The SmartCard issued by the B.E.S.T. will also do; the same card can be used for travel on the B.E.S.T. buses as well as the suburban railways.
• Fill the Card with some denomination from any "GO Mumbai" outlet ("Go Mumbai" outlets are stalls present at prominent railway stations or at major B.E.S.T. bus depots). If the SmartCard is already being used for the bus travel, then the Card will be "partitioned" to hold the railway data separate from the bus data. That is, the bus routes will not be overwritten, and can still be used.
• Now, to use the Card during suburban railway travel one needs to do the following (note that the usage of the Card on the buses do not change - the below steps are only for the rail travel):
  
• At the station where the train will be boarded, locate the "Card Swipe" machine. Usually, there are 2 machines: one for First Class, the other for Second (normal) Class. Place the SmartCard on the panel on the machine. The machine will automatically deduct from the Card the maximum travel fare applicable from that station, and also record on the Card the boarding station.
  If there is not enough money in the Card, the display will show a message.
  
• These machines are usually near the entrance to the platforms (not near the usual ticketing counters, but closer to the platforms).
  
• The train can then be boarded without buying a ticket.
  
• At the destination station, place the Card at the "Card Swipe" machine. The "Card Swipe" machine then "adjusts" the fare - that is, if excess fare was deducted, it will be refunded back to the Card.
• The ticket checkers are being given SmartCard readers so that they can check if the passenger had really swiped the Card.

Okay, that's the semi-official version. Now, here are the cons (also, reasons why I do not use the SmartCard for suburban railway travel):

1. The shocking news: This is valid only on Central Railway suburban section yet. Though, officially, its supposed to be applicable to both, the Western Railways have not yet officially recognized the SmartCard. Be ready to pay a hefty fine if you travel on the Westernl line with this Card. See this article for more details.
   
2. The pain: Knowing well how our railways and these machines would be maintained, there can be several problems. First, the machines might not work at all. If the machine at the source station does not work, at least you would know, and buy a ticket instead. On the other hand, if the machine at the destination station does not work, then you would have paid the maximum possible fare already. Now, it is unlikely that someone would run about trying to find how to get the refund of the fare.
3. Different machines might deduct fares differently for the same route. The problem here is that of keeping the fare system updated. Unlike the ATVMs, these Swipe machines are probably not centrally maintained. As a result, some of the machines may not have "up-to-date" fares or may even have incorrect fares.
   

Yipee! its over...

By the grace of the Supreme Lord and all the other Gods, Goddesses, saints and gurus, I have successfulky completed the MTech programme at IITB.

My MTech thesis defense is over, and I'm glad to say that its finally over. A few formalities including the convocation remain, but otherwise there should be no problems.

The 2-year stint at IITB comes to an end. The time was spent nicely, and it really helped me a lot. Lots of points jotted down - may result in a book some day...

The interesting part was my CPI (Cumulative Point Index)...in the end, my CPI stands at about 9.8987, which is truly surprising.

The next few weeks I intend to rest, as well as finish some of the pending work on the system I was working on. It'll be only after the convocation that I'll be resuming my earlier job (hopefully).

A few final points in this post: a lot of heartfelt gratitude towards my guide, Prof. Abhiram Ranade, also the head of the Dept. of Comp. Science and Engg., IITB. Although he was the head, he always found time to talk to his students. I think he always believed that the world's most complex problems always have the most simple solutions. And, while I was busy conjuring up useless solutions to my project's problems, he would, in one swipe - one single math formula - state the solution, and be done. The beauty is in the simplicity of his solutions. Another point worth mentioning is his simple lifestyle. In almost 2 years of association with him, I did not find him talk on a cellphone (which probably he does not own). He does not seem to own a vehicle either. Did I mention that he was among the recipients of IIT Bombay's "Excellence in Teaching Awards"? More about my guide in a separate post later...

Until then, its party time!

24032007 KYN DLS : More miscellaneous pics...

More pics from last year's visit to the Kalyan Diesel Loco Shed.

• The shock absorber springs on the bogie of a WDM2 - notice a set of springs inside the outer set.
  

• Parts of a stripped-down WDM2:
  

• The radiator fan.

• BHEL-manufactured generators

• Cylinder Heads inside the engine
  

• The "bull gear" over the axle of a stripped-down WDM2. The drive turns the gear that ,in turn, turns the axle.
  

• The drive of a stripped-down WDM2:

• The "Sanding Box" of a WDM2. (A Sanding Box holds sand that can be used in case the rails are very slippery; the sand can be released by the press of a button in the cab; the sand comes out of the sand pipe positioned so that the sand falls just ahead of the wheels)
• A CLA (Kurla) WDS4 shunter awaits its duties at the KYN DLS.

• Siblings from the same stable: a WDM2 and a Shakti WDG3A
  

24032007 KYN DLS : Miscellaneous pics...

I realised that I had only posted some pics from the visit to the Kalyan DLS (Diesel Loco Shed). Here are some more. These pics are those of the 13307 KYN WDG3A "Shakti" being serviced at the KYN Diesel Loco Shed.

• The builder's plate on the Shakti:
  

• The control stand:

• The shock absorbers:

• The LED markers on the Shakti:

• A SHF (Short Hood Forward) view from inside the Shakti:

The "dairy farms" of Mumbai

One problem in working in Mumbai (and probably true for the rest of India as well) is the addiction to drinking tea (cutting) at odd hours during the working period. So, after working for about 13 years, I found that I had acquired this (rather stupid) habit at having tea at the following approximate times:
9 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. (and sometimes even after dinner).

This seems to be a common practice among Mumbaikars. A proof of this lies in the number of roadside stalls that sell tea. You might not find shops selling milk, but I can almost guarantee that there would be a stall that sells tea within a few hundred metres on any public road where ever in Mumbai. One reason for this might be the cost: a cutting (less than 100 ml) of tea costs (even today) less than Rs. 3 at most stalls.

This post is, of course, not related to the "tea stalls"...but that is the background. An increase in my chanting kind of made me averse to drinking this tea. I cannot claim to have kicked the habit, but I certainly seemed to have developed some aversion towards this habit. Now, to overcome this silly habit and to get some proteins, I decided to have milk instead. The only problem is that there are not those many shops in Mumbai that sell milk by the glass.

There are shops that are typically named "dairy farms" that do sell hot milk. Why these are called "farms" I have no idea...since it is just a shop. A glass of hot milk costs Rs. 10; a half-glass costs Rs. 5. Either ways, it is served topped with cream.

The operation of the shop is simple: There is a large kadahi that is constantly simmering over a small flame of fire. The kadahi is filled with many litres of milk. After much simmering, the milk turns a bit brown, and has a layer of cream over it. Whenever a customer asks for a glass of milk, the appropriate quantity of milk is put into a glass (along with some sugar). Finally, the glass is topped with a layer of cream from the kadahi. In some "farms", some condiments such as crushed cardamom is added to give it a special flavor.

Chanting is addictive

"Chant and be happy" is what they tell you at every ISKCON temple. Printed on leaflets and books, the message is clear (and simple). Chant the 16-word Mahamantra, and improve your life. Most ISKCON temples (at least the one in Juhu) provide visiting people (who are not necessarily Krishna conscious devotees) with a 108-bead japa mala (chanting beads) and a small leaflet with the Mahamantra. I've never tried chanting on those beads offered at the temple.

The recommended daily practice for aspiring as well as initiated devotees is 16 rounds of chanting this Mahamantra. That is, 16 x 108 = 1728 times. In addition, on Ekadashi day, it is recommended to perform additional rounds (preferably 25 x 108 times).

Now, this was not the only mantra that I knew...I had, of course, recited many other mantras daily for many years. So, it was not clear what this chanting would achieve. Still, out of curiosity, in 2002, I started chanting this Mahamantra almost every working day 11 times (not 11 rounds - only 11 times) in a day. This was during the morning commute to my workplace.

As if by instruction (or magic), a few years later, I increased that to some more times. However, I did not use chanting beads or any other device...so it was difficult to keep track. I used to use my fingers, but then I would lose count soon.

Around 2006, I started visiting Srila Prabhupada's quarters in the Juhu temple. This was on suggestion from a devotee co-worker. During one such visit, one devotee who was also praying at the quarters asked me about how many times I chant daily. He asked me to buy chanting beads from the store at the temple. Though I did not pay attention to his instructions on that day, I did find myself buying the beads after a few days. I used the beads to chant a few times...but the main problem was in using the beads while commuting.

A few days later I bought a "hand-tally counter" (a small metallic device) that can be used for counting the number of times chanted. I could use this counter while commuting...even while standing inside the crowded buses, there was no problem in continuing the chanting.

I started with a modest goal of 4 rounds daily. Soon, I found that I could chant 10 rounds frequently; very often, I could do the recommended 16 rounds too. There was no problem.

Srila Prabhupada has said that "If you take one step towards Krishna, then Krishna will take ten steps towards you". This seems to be the theory at work behind my increase in the chanting. It cannot be mere coincidence that the 2-year break from work was meant exactly to make more time for chanting.

The main advantage of this Mahamantra is that it can be chanted anywhere, anytime (although it is more beneficial to chant in the early morning hours). So, all in all, chanting the Mahamantra does seem to be addictive. There are some other experiences as well...I may outline in a later post. Though I cannot claim be a devotee yet, it seems the goal is closer than it was before.

The first offering rolls out...

From the recipes of Kurma Dasa into my kitchen, I've just finished cooking, offering (to the Supreme Lord), and eating my first preparation of a Kurma Dasa recipe. It was called "North Indian curried cauliflower and potato" ("Aloo Gobi").

Needless to say, it was delicious. The sugar and lemon juice really made it more delicious. Thanks to Kurma.

Updates: Mumbai B.E.S.T. Smart Card

Starting from February 18th, there were some major changes in the fare structure for Mumbai's B.E.S.T. buses. One of the most major changes was to do away with the differences in the fares of limited and ordinary buses. Another impressive change was the fixed fare of Re. 1 (for any distance) for blind persons per journey. The information about the fare changes were pasted inside most buses.

A significant change in the passes available for the Smart Card fares were also brought in. A reduction in the Smart Card fares were announced. In addition, 3 types of bus passes were introduced:

• An all-city bus pass (from Colaba/Nairman Point to Mahim/Sion) - monthly Rs. 350
  
• An all-suburban bus pass (from Mahim/Sion to Bhayander/Thane/Airoli/Belapur) - monthly Rs. 450
  
• An all-route bus pass (anywhere within city or suburbs) - monthly Rs. 550

All these passes are available on a fortnightly / monthly / quarterly / yearly basis. They are valid for all non-AC routes in the mentioned zones.

Update (2008-July-20):
Information on how to use the "SmartCard" for suburban railway travel is in this post.

ping KJMT01

The expected has happened. For the past several occasions, both the ATVMs (Automatic Ticket Vending Machines) at the Kanjurmarg (KJMG) station are non-functional. Not only at KJMG, but also at several other stations. On most occasions, the display of the ATVMs do not display anything; at other times, the touch-screen refuses to respond. However, yesterday I was surprised to find a "terminal (X windows)" window opened on both the ATVMs at KJMG. Someone was running a "ping" to some class A IP addresses. Aha, they run some kind of Unix, most likely some distro of Linux. The prompt at the machines displayed "user@KJMT01", and "user@KJMT02" respectively. Guess the machines are cleverly named using station codes. (I think "KJMG" is station code for Kanjurmarg; I wonder what "KJMT" is...)

However, that does not absolve the railways to keep the ATVMs non-functional. Wonder if, and how long before, they are trashed, and like many other schemes, become history. I want my money back!

Sabudana Wada, and an attempt to return to cooking

This is two posts in one, but both somewhat related...

On Ekadashi, some people abstain from taking food (a total fast); while some others abstain from eating grains and pulses. Recently, I've started the second type of abstinence. Although I try not to consume grains / pulses, I can hardly get along without eating something. So, I consume some fruits and something made out of sabudana (sago). Some people do believe that sabudana is not a good thing to consume...but we shall let that be for the present.

Sabudana wada and sabudana khichadi are two preparations that are often prepared in some Maharashtrian homes during fasting. Outside, in restaurants, sabudana wada is hardly prepared well. I've yet to come across some restaurant that makes nice sabudana wadas (even the usual suspects (Panshikar, etc.) fail to impress here). But, there is one place I know which makes out-of-the-world sabudana wadas. The Hare Krishna temple at Juhu has a stall that sells samosas, and batata wadas. This stall also sells sabudana wadas (only on Ekadashi days). Those sabudana wadas are the tastiest I've ever had in my entire life. Sometimes, the wadas are all sold out before I reach the stall...in which case, I've to get along with the wadas dished out in regular Udipi restaurants.

To understand the complexity of getting the sabudana wadas / Khicadi right, take a look at this article (sabudana pilaf) by Kurma Dasa.

Recently, inspired in part by Govinda's tasty dishes (one wonders how they could make it taste so well without using onions and garlic), and part by Kurma Dasa, I am attempting to return to cooking. The last time I cooked was when I was away from home. That time, cooking meant frying onions in oil, adding garam masala, and then adding whatever was to be cooked. This time, however, I'm going to do things differently. Kurma Dasa's excellent collection of recipes do not include onion and garlic (and obviously no meat / eggs). I hope to get close to the taste offered by Govinda's. Of course, all cooking is to be done with devotion to the Supreme Lord, and offered to the Lord first before eating, since, in the Bhagavad Gita (Bg. 3.13), the Supreme Lord says:

The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

And, in Bg. 9.27, the Supreme Lord says:

O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.

The Mumbai Suburban Railway Smart Card (aka ATVM Card)

(If you came to this page wanting to know how to use the Go Mumbai Smart Card on the suburban railways, try this link instead.)

Yesterday, I happened to go to Churchgate station. I decided to buy the Mumbai Suburban Railway Smart Card (aka ATVM Card). I had read about it earlier, and also seen others use it. I thought it might be useful to own a card. Here are the details you need to know (some photographs of the Smart Card / Receipt / Ticket are at the end of this post):

• Unlike the B.E.S.T. Smart Card, the railway smart card allows the card holder to purchase tickets from a machine called "Automated Ticket Vending Machine" (ATVM).
• The ATVMs have been installed at some (not all yet) stations; I've seen ATVMs at some stations that are yet to be made functional. One can be sure that the major stations have multiple functional ATVMs.
• The card is "loaded" with an initial amount (or when it is refilled). The fare of the tickets purchased is deducted from the amount on the card.
• This scheme works on both the Central and Western suburban railway stations. It is valid only for the Mumbai suburban section.

To purchase the card, the procedure is simple:

• Go to any ticket counter that is marked (some board near the counter tells you which one) to sell the Smart Card.
• The Smart Card can be loaded / refilled in multiples of Rs. 50, upto Rs. 500
• Initially, the Smart Card itself has a deposit of Rs. 50 (which is refundable under some reasonable conditions mentioned at the back of the Smart Card).
• (Probably) To attract customers to this scheme, the railways are offering a 5% bonus amount on every charge of the card. For example, if you load the card with Rs. 100, your card would actually be loaded with Rs. 105.

To buy tickets using the Smart Card:

• Go to an ATVM. Place the card on the sensor on the ATVM. The ATVM has a touch-screen interface.
  
• Select the language (Hindi, Marathi, English).
• Choose the destination (zone)...and the station from the railway route map.
• Choose the number of adults and children.
• Select "Print" to print the tickets.
• The tickets are dispensed through the ATVM slot.

Here are some initial observations:

• Not all stations have the ATVMs installed. I landed up at Matunga (C. R.) only to find that the ATVMs were still kept in packed plastic covers.
• The card can be used by anyone. So, one of the benefits is that it could be shared by family members. The downside is that if the card is stolen / lost, it could be misused by whoever gets it.
  
• The time printed on the ATVM-issued ticket is the current time of the ATVM. One is supposed to commence the journey within 1 hour of this time. This is unlike the card tickets issued at the counter. The time is usually rounded up to the next hour. So, if you buy a regular card ticket at 10:05, the time printed on the card ticket would be 11:00. That gives one extra time to commence the journey.
• The user interface of the ATVM is not the best. It took me sometime to figure out how to get the interface in the English language. Second, I could not easily locate Matunga Road (as opposed to Matunga); the map is divided into zones, probably selecting the right zone is enough. It gave me a list of stations after selecting the zone, from which one has to select the destination. The other parts of the interface are also a bit confusing for the new user.
• It is not clear how the ATVM is supposed to "save time" in the long run. In the short run, of course, only those who have the cards line up for the ATVM. Thus, the ATVM queues could be expected to be much, much smaller than the ones at the ticket counters. In the long run, however, if many had these cards, the ATVM queues would probably be longer since it takes quite a while to conduct a transaction at the ATVM.

Here are the images for the front and back of the Smart Card:

The back-side has some "rules" for the refund.

The receipt provided along with the Smart Card that one is supposed to carefully preserve!




A ticket purchased using the Smart Card (Mumbai CST to Matunga).

End of Sem 3...one more to go...

By the grace of the Supreme Lord and all the other Gods, Goddesses, saints and gurus, I have managed to pass comfortably semester 3 of the MTech programme.

I got much better grades in semester 3 compared to previous semesters. In fact, I cannot better the 10-point grade index that I got this semester.

Actually, the course-work for semester 3 was over by Novemeber 2007 end. But, officially, semester 3 also includes Stage 2 project evaluations that are held only in January. So, in a way, the semester 3 gets over only in mid-January. While the rest of the students were enjoying the MoodI (I don't know who enjoys MoodI, but that is material for another post), Christmas, and New Year, we were busy slogging it out in preparation for the project evaluation.

That brings to an end one of the busiest consecutive periods of intensive work. After a little rest, we head back to the grind for the (hopefully) final semester and the final stage of the project.

Potato Pattice and other Sindhi snacks

Sindhis seem to have a penchant for potatoes. They seem to excel at preparing potato pattice (elsewhere, this is called "tikki"). My earliest brush with the Sindhi variety was when I was a kid. A guy from Ulhasnagar would bring in "yet-to-be-fried" pattice for selling to select Sindhi households. We would buy the pattice from him and fry it at home.

The second major experience was when I was studying in Chembur. Sindhi Society had a roadside vendor ("Raju Pattice") near the Bhakti Bhavan bus stop. He would setup his stall by 4 p.m. and do a roaring business until he ran out of pattice. Though it seemed that Raju was not a Sindhi himself, he probably bought the "yet-to-be-fried" pattice from some Sindhi. As of this writing, Raju is no longer selling pattice at the spot. Probably, because he was thrown out by protests from the local people.


The third experience was in the form of a birthday treat at the home of a Sindhi classmate. (We haven't forgotten those delicious bread rolls and pattice - thank you, Murli Janyani.) I must've had close to 10 bread rolls.

Eventually, I realized that Sindhis had a specialty in preparing this stuff.

Jhama is a popular Sindhi eatery that sells snacks as well as sweets. The first outlet was probably first setup in Sindhi colony (aka Chembur Camp). I had read somewhere that Raj Kapoor (and other RK studio people) would order from this place. Eventually, Jhama setup other outlets: one on Sion-Trombay road in Chembur; the other in Vashi; and the latest one in Koparkhairane.

I am told that the locals, however, prefer Vig Refreshments in Chembur Colony. The mango lassi is absolutely worth the money (although it is probably made with mango syrup). Other standard stuff is available: Chola (not ragda) Pattice, Chola Puri, Chole Bhature, Stuffed Kulcha (extremely good ones), Dahi Pattice (aka DP). Veg Pulav too is available, but only upto 4 p.m. or before it gets over.

Diwali Snacks Shopping 2007

Judging by the hits on the previous years' posts (here and here) related to the same topic, I thought I might post another one for this year too. This year we decided to buy the snacks for Diwali from only 2 shops. So, here is the list of shops and the things we bought from:

1. Mysurpa (Mysore Pak) (at Rs. 200 per kg) from Shri Krishna Sweets, N. G. Acharya Marg, Chembur (quite close to the railway station)
2. Chaklis, Poha Chiwda, Boondi Laddu, and Banana Wafers from Cafe Mysore (and its other outlet "Nayak Sweets") from King's Circle, Matunga
   

Though the Mysurpa is fully laden with ghee, there is no guilty feeling in eating it; in fact, it probably tastes good only because of the ghee. This is a very soft variety unlike the other Mysore Pak prepared in Maharashtrian homes.

"Do it in 8" and other short stories from the FRRO

(The incidents in this post have taken place around July 2007.)

The FRRO (Foreigners' Regional Registration Office) is some kind of a government-related office that most foreign visitors to Mumbai need to register at. It is also the place foreigners go to get some kind of a extension to stay within India. For the Mumbai region, this office is located near CST (close to the CST station).

It so happened that one of the guys I know happens to be a foreigner studying in India. It is a common practice for the visa to be issued only for a year and then get it extended after a year. Let us call this foreigner guy as "PH". So, PH ran out of his visa and needed an extension. Since this is a very common practice among foreign students, I guess it might be well documented somewhere. PH somehow got himself acquainted with these procedures (say, by reading a web site or maybe by talking to other foreign students). His only concern was travelling to CST.

He asked me if I could come along, and I said yes. So, one morning we left to go to CST. Me being me, the only way someone could get me to travel (from the distant suburbs) to CST would be by a local train...no amount of air-conditioned comfort and other luxuries would make me travel the distance by road.

He being him, agreed readily to travel by the local train. As luck would have it, the train was a bit crowded, but eased out as we crossed Dadar. After a few more minutes, we reached CST. We reached before 12 noon and that was considered to be a good time since the office would not yet be closed for lunch. PH knew the shortcuts to get to this FRRO quite well...in fact, I had never been to the FRRO earlier (which is not surprising since Indians residing in India have no business to be at the FRRO). So we reached the FRRO, signed in at the ground floor register, climbed up the stairs to the third floor, and there was a reception counter there.

To ensure orderliness, a reception counter on the floor checks if one has all the documents in order to get the extension. There was not much of a queue. So, PH's documents were checked after a while, and then he was told that a particular letter did not mention his nationality. Now that was stupid, PH thought. After all, he had his passport...and the passport is considered the global proof of nationality. Nothing doing said the lady at the counter. No nationality, no entry to the office. I tried to intervene...in Marathi. No avail. I understood the matter quickly...these govt. people wouldn't budge an inch. So I told PH that we should get the nationality into the letter. PH being a bit naive said that he could write the nationality in the typed letter. I said that was not a legal thing to do since anyway the letter was signed by some other authority. So any change to the contents required the signed authority to sign over the changes as well. We tried to get the corrected letter faxed, but no avail.

Day 2:
With the correct letter mentioning the nationality in hand, PH and I travelled again in the second-class train to CST. We reached the FRRO, again signed in the register, went upto the third floor. The reception counter checked our documents. All was okay. We were allowed to the inner offices. Now, once in, the systems were supposed to all web-enabled and of the self-service variety. The problem was that the JSP application needed some kind of complex username and password derived from the application earlier. We got a staff to help us out, and put in the application for the visa extension online. The offices inside were nicely furnished. All air-conditioned, nice seating, an LCD TV showing a news channel...even some abstract art paintings thrown in. There was even a small shop inside selling vending machine tea and some potato chips (wafers).

The online system prints out a receipt that we then needed to take and give to an officer. So we went and met the officer. The officer said that the application was not complete since the letter in question did not mention until what time the study course would be over by. "Oh no", I thought...not again. PH tried to reason with the officer stating that everyone knew that a master's programme would be for 2 years. But, no. Government offices do not work that way. If it is not in black-and-white, then it is not present. These government officers keep their brains at home...maybe that's nice for the country, since rules are rules, I thought.

I knew it then and there that a third visit to the FRRO was definitely on the cards. The next situation was, however, very surprising: The officer said that if he forwarded the file to his senior, PH's application would be rejected, and since his visa was expiring on that very day, it would mean that he would have overstayed without a visa. This is a very legal angle. The officer was "kind enough" to say that we could come back the next day and he would keep our application "on hold" with him. So I told PH we should go back and come back with yet another version of that damned letter.

PH then told the officer that he was willing to take the risk of being deported from India and that the officer should forward the application to the senior. Things seemed to get out of hand, so I intervened. Surprisingly, I blew off my top for a while, and tried to reason with the officer...why, on earth, I asked they did not have this stupid thing documented anywhere. And, why did the lady at the reception counter not inform us of this thing on the first day itself. Anyways, since the officers leave their brains at home, no amount of reasoning works.

Day 3:
We arrive at the FRRO again with yet another version of that letter. The ground floor guy now starts to recognize us. Unlike earlier days, even though I have a beard, he does not seem suspicious about me. We reach the FRRO at 13:15...we were asked to come a bit late by the officer. We approach the officer, who seems quite pleased with all his power. PH is then asked to wait for an hour or so.

I go out to nearby McDonalds to fetch PH his meal. When I return back, I call PH down and he eats his meal sitting under the shade of a tree outside the FRRO building. After lunch, we go up again. We enjoy sitting cosily on a sofa in the cool air-conditioned environment. There is nothing for me to do (I have not lugged around my books). So, I look around and observe the activity in the office.

Around 10 foreign people lounging around waiting for something or the other. One fat NRI type of guy is sitting next to us at a distance. Most the other guys finish their jobs and go away. Our fatso is still present. A little while later, a well-built officer comes out of the office and signals to the NRI to call him. The officer himself proceeds towards an entrance that is marked as the way to the toilet. Our NRI chap makes a call on his mobile (presumably to the officer) and I tune my ear in. "Do it in 8", "I know you guys for so long" is what I hear...of course, the conversation is in Hindi. A little while later, the NRI has finished talking...he also heads over to the toilet.

Moral of the story: Talking over the mobile increases the kidney activity leading to bloated bladders. After talking over the mobile, one needs to go to the toilet.

Okay, I made that one up. A little while later, the NRI comes back, the officer also comes back...both look happy. The officer goes to his seat, the NRI sits back at the sofa. The NRI is summoned inside the office...he comes back after a while, it seems his "job" has got done.

What that "8" happens to be I will never know. 8 hundred, 8 thousand, 8 lakh, ...

In the meanwhile, PH is also summoned. His work has also been done. He gets his extension.

On the way out, I look at the visitor's book. It is full of praise-worthy comments for the "helpful staff". I remarked to PH that he must also make an entry...which of course, he refused...I think because English is not his strong language.

We return back by the crowded local carrying the peak hour traffic. I urge PH to document all this since it would help the others...of course, he does not do so. I think its because of his English.

Panshikar Dadar gets an upgrade

In the recent past, when I visited Dadar, I found Panshikar to be closed even though it wasn't a Monday. Last week when I visited it, I found it not only open, but the reason for its closure was clear. There was renovation being carried out. The newly tiled eatery (though work was ongoing in the rear end - no doubt to increase its capacity) was open for business...and there was rush. In fact, I had to wait in a queue for about 10 minutes to get a seat.

Panshikar Dadar was a Grade II eatery (as graded by the BMC). Its quite possible now that it gets converted to a Grade I eatery (for comparison's sake, Cafe Mysore is a Grade I eatery). I guess it has something to do with the neatness levels (and nothing to do with the taste of the food). Panshikar Dadar was earlier run by the same (family) people that run the Panshikar at Girgaon. Eventually, a split of the business (warring family members???) meant that the management of Panshikar Dadar would be different than the one at Girgaon. The one at Girgaon opened up a branch at Vile Parle a few years ago.

When I saw Panshikar Dadar closed a few months ago, I felt it was on its decline...maybe its business was hit by the roadside Wada Paav and other vendors, I thought. But, fortunately my thinking was incorrect. The Marathi manoos is not going to let go of his farali misal and other "fast foods" (meaning food that is had during a fast). The crowds at the eatery may have had to do something with the month of Shravan (when a lot of these manoos-es fast).

All seems well with the eatery as it prepares itself to gear up for the festival months ahead. All hail the Marathi manoos and the farali misal. The king of farali misal is back for business.

The more the things change...

...the more they remain the same. This post is in the context of the traffic scenario in parts of Mumbai.

I remember about 13 years ago there was no Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. Traveling from Powai to Andheri meant taking the route via Saki Naka. There was the other option of traveling by the Aarey Colony Road, but at that time toll rates were considered exorbitant. One particular evening I remember the traffic being so bad via Saki Naka that it took me 3 hours to just reach Andheri station.

A few years later things eased up because of the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR); traffic got divided between the two routes. Another few years down the line, many people commuting to Goregaon and beyond started taking the Aarey Colony route. This further eased the traffic going towards Andheri. (Of course, matters became worse for people traveling to Goregaon...but that's not part of this story).

A couple of years ago, the Saki Naka junction and the road towards Andheri were widened...traveling to Andheri was not so much of a pain...whichever route was taken.

But, it seems we are back to the starting point...traveling via Saki Naka now can take as much as 2 hours to reach Andheri as I recently experienced. While I conciously take buses that go by the JVLR to Andheri, I had the misfortune to take a bus via Saki Naka a couple of times in the recent past. And that commute was enough to convince me not to travel by that route (except maybe at late nights).

Actually, the real reason for the change in traffic scenario is the numerous setups (buildings, industries) that have come up along that route...Chandivali, behind Saki Naka post office, Marwah lane, etc. That is why the more the things change, the more they remain the same.

Lunch at "A Rama Nayak's Udipi Shri Krishna Boarding"

Last Saturday afternoon, I was at Matunga (C.R.) to buy some things from the market. Since I landed up at Matunga station taking a C.R. train, I thought I might as well eat some South Indian stuff. There was the hopelessness of making a choice from among so many eateries there: Starting from "Ram Ashraya" near the station, "Saraswati", to "Cafe Mysore", "Anand Bhavan", "Cafe Madras" at Maheshwari Udyaan. "Idli House" was out of the question as it would be closed for lunch (what business sense?). Calculating at what seemed to be the speed of light, the mind zeroed in onto "Dahi Rice" at either "Cafe Mysore" or at "Ram Ashraya". But when I came out of the station, of course, there was "A. Rama Nayak's Udipi Shri Krishna Boarding" (hereafter referred to as ARN USKB) (review by Busybee is here) to be considered. How could I have forgotten to consider that? All computational power used up was wasted and I decided to go to the ARN USKB. One of the main driving forces was that I hadn't visited that eatery for many years now.

So up the flight of stairs behind Matunga vegetable market (BMC market) and I arrived on the first floor. Lots of people (well-dressed) waiting in a queue. (Those Gujjus certainly contribute to lot of these ARN's business, I thought.) I went past those people and landed up near the counter...the same boss (Satish Nayak from Idli House seated there). I gave him a Rs. 100 note and he gave me some coupons and Rs. 71. That made the lunch cost equal to Rs. 29. But I could've opted for a bare minimal meal and got only one (main) coupon...I think that would have cost me Rs. 23 or so.

Anyways, I was directed inside the "general" seating hall, ahead of all the people waiting. It wasn't that I used influence...those people waiting were for the "unlimited" section, I guess. The "general" or the "limited" section is for getting only limited food. Sayings by "Sane Guruji" and his photograph were displayed on the walls. I could not understand the relationship between Udipi and "Sane Guruji". Maybe ARN was firmly impressed by Guruji's thoughts and ideals.

After being seated, a "server" came to my table, took one of the coupons, and put down a glass of buttermilk. Then, came a plate with 2 chapatis, 2 mounds of rice, a bowl of sambar, a bowl of kadhi, papad, and 2 vegetable preparations (subji). I finished eating it. Some "servers" keep moving about asking if we would like more of the gravy. I then gave another coupon and took a bowl of curd. Another coupon was for the sweet dish. There were 4 sweet dishes to choose from. I took "aamras". I was done with my lunch. Then, it was time to look around.

Oh I could see people of all kinds...some Gujarati women, some North Indian men, even a Muslim family with women in burqas. I was surprised to see this family. I mean one does not expect people who relish non-vegetarian food to eat at this eatery. Maybe they did not know what they would get, but one second thoughts, no one would come to the eatery on the first floor of a municipal market whose entrance is at the very end of the road (next to the tracks) had they not known about it. Maybe they just felt like eating "plain" food for one lunch.

Of course, there were people from the relatively lower-middle classes. At Rs. 23 for a gentle-on-the-stomach lunch plate, why would anyone want to eat somewhere else?

A major milestone reached

By the grace of the Supreme Lord, I can now say that I've finished reading the (English) translation of the "Bhagavad Gita - As It Is". For quite some time (years), I was stuck with having read only 3 chapters. Recently I figured out what the problem was and why I wasn't making any progress. I worked around that obstacle (you'll never guess it was so trivial, but the solution involved LaTeX).

The completion of reading the Gita is definitely the most major milestone in my life. That does not say anything about my having understood 100% of it. Also, the workaround involved skipping reading the purports (by HDG ACB SP) in the translation. Hopefully, reading the purports will increase my understanding. Until then, I can claim to have read (the translation of) all the verses.

I have never watched the Mahabharat serial that was telecast on television some years ago. I believe it also covered the conversation in the Bhagavad Gita. I do not know if it covers whatever is there in the Bhagavad Gita. I was surprised to see many questions directly answered in the Bhagavad Gita.

There is one thing that I would like to quote for now:

From BG Chapter 13, Verse 26:

Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death.

In my case, the "others" mentioned in the verse was a co-worker of mine. He is, of course, an ISKCON devotee. I would like to thank him.
Some other quotes will follow in posts to this blog later.

The next logical step is to read the purports and then the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Amazing lectures of HDG ACB Srila Prabhupada

Recently I had the chance to hear some lecture recordings of HDG ACB Srila Prabhupada (courtesy Internet streaming and a good mechanism to find these built into Amarok, the KDE media player). Although I have read several books by Srila, I found the lectures to provide much more information. The voice also provides the emotional content - something that is not captured in the books. Srila's rasping voice, a tone that almost seems to reprimand the audience, and the authority with which Srila speaks, made me wanting to listen to more of the lecture recordings.

Most of these are recorded in the 1970s. CDs featuring these lectures are sold in the ISKCON stores. There is also a MP3 library (24 CD set) available containing all these lecture recordings (but I think its a bit too expensive).

A chance visit to Vinay Health Home

This Saturday evening I ended up at the other end of the city (Girgaon) and to one of the places that I've seldom visited. Of course, as a child, I remember having been there to visit a famous Balaji temple at Phanaswadi.

Eventually, after many years, I came to equate Girgaon with Panshikar and Vinay Health Home (re-reading Busybee's reviews many times about this place may have had something to do with that). Actually, Girgaon could've been a sort of "branch" of Dadar or vice-versa...a kind of "mirror image". Most (important) shops in Dadar (used to) also happen to have a branch in Girgaon. "Vaman Hari Pethe", "Panshikar", "Haribhau Vishwanath Vadyavrinda"...

A sudden interest in buying amateur telescopes made me take a train to Charni Road and then visit a place near the Cawasjee Patel Tank (aka C. P. Tank). This telescope creator (Tejraj) has a small place (within a fourth-floor apartment) that sells telescopes...from small "pen-telescopes" right up to motorized ones (the ones that claim to enable one to see the craters on the moon's surface)...that is, ones that cost from Rs. 300 right up to about Rs. 75k.

Since I passed Vinay Health Home as I went along, I decided I would drop in on my return from the telescope "shop". I was surprised to see that it had undergone changes (the settings were quite different from that mentioned in Busybee's review).

I had Batata Poha and Piyush. I found the poha to be a bit oily, but good enough. Also, the quantity was a bit disappointing. The piyush, however, was one of the tastiest ones I have ever had...even better than the ones that I used to have regularly at Panshikar's in Dadar or at Sapre's in Goregaon. Bill = Rs. 30 (Rs. 15 each for the poha and the piyush).

Satisfied, I returned back by train.

The area itself is very strange. As one enters the Girgaon area on the Dr. Babasaheb Jaykar Road, one can see a strong presence of Maharashtrian people. Half-way along on the way to CP Tank, the composition suddenly changes and one can see many Gujarati people. Some buildings have their names written only in Gujarati.

24032007 KYN DLS: About

The KYN DLS is about 10 to 12 years old and is home to about 64 locos. The largest (diesel?) sheds, as per the DLS employee are the ones at NKJ (New Katni Junction) and Tughlaqabad (TKD).


The WDM2 has a rating of 2600 hp, whereas the WDG3 (Shaktis) are usually 3100 hp.

24032007 KYN DLS: Braking in the WDM2

Many locos these days, explained the DLS employee, have Dual Braking systems (both vacuum as well as air brakes). Vacuum brakes were the older system, where vacuum is used for braking. However, this suffers from the disadvantage that is not easy to detect leaks in the brake pipes. Air braking systems, on the other hand, need to maintain a constant pressure in the pipes. Thus, any leak will be easily detectable due to the sound (hiss) of the leaking air.

There are multiple options for braking. The most common ones, of course, are the A9 and the SA9. These are levers in the WDM2 control stand as shown in the below image (click on it to see a larger view).



As is obvious, the train brake is for stopping the entire train, whereas the loco brake only gets applied to the loco. Applying the loco brakes with an entire train behind it, when in motion, is quite dangerous since it can cause banging and even derailment; the inertia of the coaches behind would result in their banging into the slowed-down loco causing great harm.

When the loco is started up, the brake pressure gauge should show 5 kg / sq.cm. Only then is enough pressure built up throughout the brake pipe (connected across all the coaches) to enable effective braking. The pressure is built up using a compressor. This also means that once the loco is cranked up, the pilot needs to wait until the appropriate brake pressure is built up. Further, if there is a (substantial) leak, the required pressure would fail to build up.

To brake, the pilot simply pulls the appropriate lever (train or loco) one notch at a time. As soon as that is done, the brake pressure falls down (indicated on the gauge).

There are other mechanisms as well: an emergency brake, a full-release, and one in the guard compartment too. However, according to the DLS employee, the other ones are hardly ever used as they can put the entire running train at the risk of an accident. The pilots would rather allow the loco to hit the obstacle (mostly animals, humans, etc.) than put the entire train at risk.

The "full-release" is a small "cap" connected to a vertical pipe in the WDM2 cab. When the brake pressure is built up, the cap would be quite tight and will not come off until one pulls hard at it. Just pull open the cap and a huge amount of air would get releases immediately...in a matter of 10 seconds, the entire loco would halt even if running at a speed of 70 kmph. As per the DLS employee, no one uses this braking mechanism.

The other interesting part was what the employee called the ECP (Emergency Chain Pulling). These days pulling the chain causes no action but the lighting of a small lamp on the control stand. The pilot is thus, made aware of the passenger's request to stop. However, as per rules, the pilot will halt the train only at the next station. That is the rule. The emergency chain in the coaches is thus not connected to the braking system at all!!!

That must be the reason why the train did not halt in this incident that was reported in the newspapers a few days ago. Even though the loco of the train in the incident reported would've been an electric BL (Valsad) WCAM3 or a WCAM2P, one could safely assume that the ECP mechanism is the same across these locos.

Another interesting aspect is the maintaining the pressure when the loco is stopped. As per the DLS employee, when the loco is powered off, the compressor would no longer be working and thus the air braking would not be effective. To overcome this, there is an air reservoir that stores about 130 liters of compressed air (filled up in the shed). This will allow the brake to be in place for at least an hour or two. It is therefore, always recommended to put wheel blocks in place when the train needs to halt for more time. This is done to prevent "rolling off" - a situation where the train simply moves along the rails without power (for example, when on a gradient).

24032007 KYN DLS: Dynamic Braking in the Shakti

Switching to Dynamic Braking in the Shakti is quite simple. The same lever used to control the speed works in the reverse to initiate dynamic braking.

This lever in the photograph, if moved down from the center, notches up the speed (there are 8 notches)...move the same lever up from the center and you have dynamic braking.



The lever in the photograph is in the dynamic braking mode.

End of Sem 2...end of an year

By the grace of the Supreme Lord and all the other Gods, Goddesses, saints and gurus, I have managed to pass comfortably semester 2 of the MTech programme.

I got slightly better grades in semester 2 compared to semester 1.

Moving on to the next academic year, there's only one more course to be taken and the MTech Project. Hopefully, that will go off well too.

Back from a trip to the South

Just got back from a trip to the South...the trip was mainly for attending a ceremony in the family. After a gap of many years, I got to travel on long-distance trains. We traveled by Chalukya from DR to DWR (Dharwad - the station code still reflects the old name "Dharwar") and back. From DWR, we traveled to MYS (Mysore) and back. The journeys were quite pleasant...although the trains ran about 0.5 hr to 1 hr behind schedule.

The most disappointing thing about the trip was about having missed the opportunity to visit the UBL (Hubli) diesel loco shed - which is about 0.5 hr from DWR. WDP/Gs roamed freely on this section and it was nice to see so many of them.

The other significant thing about the trip was that the DWR-MYS journey must've had at least 50 W/Ls...so the loco was honking quite frequently.

The Chalukya from DR to YPR was hauled by (surprise!) a micro-processor-controlled Pune WDG3A Shakti.

24032007 KYN DLS: Shakti

The Shakti (a WDG3A) is said to be the longest diesel loco with the Indian Railways. Its actually a redesign by the DLW Varanasi engineers. On the day we were at the DLS, there was only one Shakti - the microprocessor controlled 13307. From what we were told, there are Shaktis that are not microprocessor controlled.

The Shakti's front-view (a WDM2 peers from inside the shed):







A group of students peer into the heart of the Shakti as the DLS guys explain the working of the generator.

24032007 KYN DLS: Syllabus for the day

We reached KYN DLS a bit later than planned...it took some time to figure out how to get to the DLS. The approach road is quite confusing. We tried going through Shahad and then turned back and headed towards KYN. After asking for directions, we found a way through a very narrow road and then through a railway crossing to the DLS.

The DLS guys were, of course, expecting us. After showing the permission letter, we were let in. We were taken to a meeting room on the first floor from where we could see the activity in the shed. As we waited in the room for the DME (?) (some kind of official designation, I guess...maybe some Deputy Engineer), a board in the room displayed the "syllabus" for the day. The topics to be studied were on the board.

Take a look (note the last column labelled Future - KYN DLS has plans to home WDP4s and WDG4s - all microcontroller based controls).

24032007 KYN DLS: Bogies and Wheel profiles

A common misnomer, explained the DLS employee, is to think that a "bogie" is the coach that is attached to the loco. For example, we say "I have a seat in the bogie 11th from the loco". As per the DLS employee, a bogie does not only represent a coach. A loco also has a bogie. More precisely, all shells including that of the loco or the coaches are mounted on the bogie. Actually, the bogie includes the wheel arrangements and the frame on which the shell is mounted.

The WDM2 has a 3-point mount, whereas Shakti, the WDG3A has a 4-point mount. The WDM2 has a cast bogie, whereas the Shakti has a welded bogie. The Shakti, which is probably the brainchild of some desginers in DLW Varanasi, tried to overcome "limitations" in WDM2 as well as to improve the design of the AlCo WDM2. However, as one DLS employee put it, there is nothing to beat the WDM2 design. The Shakti poses problems non-existent in the WDM2. He was all praise for the WDM2...he even asked us to learn from the WDM2 design. I guess this comparison is similar to what people used to say about Unix (versus DOS, for example).

A closer look at the wheel reveals a tilted profile and fine treads.

24032007 KYN DLS: Cranking the loco

"Cranking the loco" is not as the name suggests a strenuous physical activity. For a WDM2, it is simply pressing a big red switch for a few seconds. In an attempt to make us learn how the braking system works, one DLS employee cranked up the loco.

Two or three people were at work in the pit underneath the WDM2, while we were in or near the cab. After sounding the warning bell twice or thrice, the DLS employee pressed the big switch and the loco came to life.

Notice the 3-tier workplace including the pit. The platform (topmost) at the cab entry level is the place where workers can work on the top part of the loco. Then, there is the middle part for work near the wheels. Finally, at the very bottom, a pit for working under the loco.

A visit to KYN Diesel Loco Shed

Studying in IITB has some additional benefits as well. Apart from the fact that I can claim to be a student, one gets to participate in the other activities as well. A trip, of which I also was a part of, was organized by the Technical Club to the Kalyan (KYN) Diesel Loco Shed this Saturday.
It was a half-day trip, well-spent in the loco shed. A lot of knowledge was gained.

The shed staff were particularly welcoming and took great pains to explain in detail the workings of the shed as well as the locos. More about the trip later.

There are also plans afoot to visit the KYN Electric Loco Shed too. But that would probably be much later.

Update:
Other posts related to this visit can be found by clicking this link.

New items @ Jumbo King

Jumbo King, our desi version of McDonald, has introduced some new items. Apart from the staple wada pav, it has now introduced "JKWP (Jumbo King Wada Pav) Cholle (Rs. 10)", "JKWP Ussal" (Rs. 10) and "JKWP Schezwan" (Rs. 12).

When I first saw the boards, I mistakenly thought it was Cholle Pav. It turned out to be Wada Pav + a layer of Cholle spread inside the bread. Although the combination seemed strange, it did taste quite well.

A Lord Vitthal temple in Kerala!!!

This may come as a surprise to many, but here is the image of one that I visited when in Kerala. This one is in a place called "Kayankulam". Notice the black board with Malayalam messages whereas the text in Devnagiri above states the name of the temple.

Its the season of LCD

LCD is the style of the day! No, I don't care about the "current" style, but I just replaced my 3-year old 15-inch CRT monitor with a 15-inch TFT LCD monitor (Samsung 540N). It cost me about Rs. 8.5K (non-Lamington price).

One of the main reasons for buying it was the space saving afforded by the LCD monitor. These things are also supposed to last longer and to consume lesser energy. They are also supposed to be easy on the eyes. Since there is no refresh scan needed, I wonder whether the "black lines" that show up when photographing a CRT monitor will show up with this kind of monitor. Theoretically, it should not, but I will confirm it.

The space created by the smaller monitor can now be filled with the Bose "Companion 2 Series II" multimedia speakers that I've been eyeing for so long. After I have the money, that is.

Changing my "religion"

No, not that one; the other one. A few visits to "Idli House" has made me forget the other eatery at Matunga I used to frequent. When I did visit "Cafe Mysore", the coffee was off and the sambar was unusually liquid-y.

"Idli House" and "Ram Ashraya" (just opposite to where the Matunga Z-bridge ends) have now replaced visits to "Cafe Mysore" and "Anand Bhavan".

"Idli House" has an unusual policy of closing for lunch (its closed from 13:30 to 16:00).

The BEST "Smart Card"

Update: As of mid-2010, this facility was withdrawn by B.E.S.T.  Early 2011, the B.E.S.T. made some significant changes to the smart card system. New readers cum ticket vending machines  were introduced with the conductors (these machines are much lighter than the heavy metal ticket boxes they used to carry earlier). So, the below post is now no longer valid.
 
The B.E.S.T. (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) "Smart Card" was introduced about a month ago; it was supposed to offer commuters various benefits including the hassle of finding change to buy tickets during their daily commute. After some inquiries with various people including the pass vendor at a bus depot, I finally bought a one-month bus pass that I thought would help me get the touted "benefits".

For the consumer, the process is simple: Go to a bus depot that offers these "Smart Cards". Decide which route you want to travel on (starting and end points plus the route) and decide the period of validity (weekly, monthly, quarterly). "Route" here does not necessarily mean the bus route number, but in the most usual cases, a route could be referred to with the bus route number(s). The person at the counter (probably a sub-contractor's employee) has an "Intel WebTerminal" with only a keyboard and a monitor with the appropriate network connection. The mouse pad is embedded onto the keyboard. After determining the fare, you are asked to pay the amount. For the monthly fare, it works to slightly more than what you would have paid for a 6-day-week 2-way daily commute. For example, if the regular one-way fare is Rs. 9, then the monthly fare is Rs. 480. Buying a quarterly pass would result in savings. An I-card with the holder's photograph stamped by the BEST (ala Railway Season pass) is supposed to be carried along with the "Smart Card".

To use it, one needs to simply board the bus and give the Card to the conductor, instead of buying a ticket. Technically, the destination must also be stated. The conductor has a clumsy card reader with which the conductor can check if the Card is valid (date wise) as well as whether it is valid on the route of the bus.

This last point had me thinking: I thought the card reader would have some complex "graph-based" implementation; Prof. Abhiram Ranade of CSE, IITB and his "Mumbai Navigator" did ring a bell. I thought the logic might compare the route (points) on the Card with the route of the bus that the reader is used in and it would tell if the pass is valid on the route or not.

It turns out that the reader is rather dumb, heck, even the "Smart Card" seems to be dumb. The Card seems to be nothing more than a storage area where certain information (the expiry date, the source and destination, as well as the I-card number) is stored. The reader simply reads this information and displays it on its screen. In addition, there is a green LED that glows to show whether the card is not past its expiry date (a red one probably glows to show it has expired...there's one more LED that has the label "Concession").

That's where the fun begins: it is now up to the conductor, I guess, whether to consider whether the Card is valid on the route of the bus or not. Given the complexity of the various bus routes, it seems strange as to how the conductor could make a guess. For example, if I have a bus pass from Powai to Vashi, does it mean I can go to Airoli. (There is at least one bus that goes from Powai via Airoli as well as the normal way via Ghatkopar). I have not tried this out, but I'm sure there might be conductors that object. For example, suppose with the Powai to Vashi Smart Card, I travel from Bhandup to Sonapur on a bus that goes from Sion to Mulund. How on earth would the conductor know that there is a route that exists that takes passengers from Powai to Vashi via Bhandup, Sonapur and Airoli. On one occasion, I even had a bus conductor ask me if the Card was valid for that route!.

The only benefits that I have gotten so far are the ability to use it on a wide variety of buses on the same route and unlimited number of commutes on the route.

There are some disadvantages with this:

1. I used to rely on the BEST conductors to give me change (ATMs just dispense in multiples of 100s and the BEST conductors - especially those on the night buses - usually oblige passengers). Of course, I could still stick a Rs. 100 note and ask the conductor to give me change, but my collection of coins / notes seem exhausted just when I need them.
2. The reader is too clumsy to use and it takes the conductor anywhere between 10 to 15 seconds to check the Card. That is too much of time - in crowded buses, conductors usually don't bother to check the Card at all.
3. The ticket collectors have no way to identify where a passenger with a Card got in; the physical ticket used to have a punch to indicate where a passenger boarded the bus.
   

The Smart Card proudly proclaims "Mumbai BEST / Mumbai Suburban Railways". I wonder what that "Railways" part is for; it might be for the upcoming Metro Rail. With the Smart Card looking real dumb, I wonder how long would take a hacker (well, "cracker" for purists) to fake the details on the Card.

Update (2007-December-15):
For some reason, this post is getting read a lot. I thought I must update this to put in some more information. Here are some more points regarding this "Smart Card":

• For about Rs. 800 a month, one can load the "card" with an "all-route travel" option. With this, the commuter can travel anywhere, any number of times using any B.E.S.T. bus (except for the air-conditioned ones).
• There was news a few weeks back that the B.E.S.T. Smart Card could be used to buy tickets from the newly installed "Ticket Vending Machines" on the Mumbai suburban railways. The railways have come out with their own version of the "smart card", but it works differently than the B.E.S.T. one. The B.E.S.T. general manager had announced that they were "trying to integrate" the usage of the B.E.S.T. card on the railway system, but I have not heard anything after that.

Update (2008-February-18):

• It finally happened...but it took one year. One conductor declared that my pass was not valid on a (section of a particular route). I asked him what took them so long to find out; after all, I'd been travelling on that route for nearly an year! Anyways, to avoid all controversies there after, I've changed my bus pass for an all-suburban route validity. More information about this is in this post.

Update (2008-July-20):
Information on how to use the "SmartCard" for suburban railway travel is in this post.

Does their opinion count?

Recently I attended a discussion by a panel of "eminent Mumbaikars"; the topic was related to the future of Mumbai and how it was positioned currently. While most panel members expressed happiness that Mumbai was now better than it was in the previous decade, a few (actually, only one) panel members disagreed. Those who disagreed were from the "anti-Bihari / anti-UP illegal migrants" camp.

A little while later I got fed up of the discussion and walked away. I wondered later why we attach so much importance to these people's opinions. No doubt they are highly educated and well connected and all. But I wondered if their opinion should really matter. After all, these people hardly travel on the bus/train. They have hardly wandered out of their cars and out of their cosy castles. They would never have walked on the roads (try walking around Andheri station) and would never have taken a Virar fast from Dadar (and got off at Mira Road). They would never dare to walk alone in the dead of the night on the streets of Mumbai.

Yet these very people were talking about how life in Mumbai has become safer, how conditions have now improved, etc. Of course, if by "conditions", they meant "malls and brands", definitely things have improved. And by "safe", if they meant travelling in a car at night zooming over the flyovers, things have improved.

And the funny part was that the others (commoners) were listening. It should really have been the other way around! The commoners should have been talking and they (the people who could influence the authorities) should have been listening.

A new year...a new semester

The first day of the New Year is here and close on its heels is the start of the semester. Time again to slog it out for the next 4 months; time again for all the exams, quizzes, tests, reports, homeworks, assignments. Time again to choose courses (subjects) wisely.

Like many of the recent years, this New Year's eve too was no different for me...no celebrations and no partying for me. However, the eve fell on a Sunday...I went to ISKCON Juhu just to see what was the scene was all around along the way.

The wine shops were full of customers...some wine shops had opened "additional counters" so that they could service more customers at the same time. Those who did not want to spend money drinking in restaurants chose to buy the drink and consume it directly on the streets (the drinks wrapped in black plastic carry bags). Not to lose an opportunity, the "boiled-egg" vendors also positioned themselves close to these shops so that they could provide cheap snacks to such drinkers.

Those who had the money to spend chose to dress up in choicest (party) clothes and headed off to the party of their interest. Many of these would no doubt will still be in bed at the time I write this.

Politicians are magicians!

It seems some political parties are promising 24-hours water supply to Mumbai. How on earth this is going to be possible is anybody's guess. Even on getting "abundant" rainfall year after year and with the lakes (that supply water to Mumbai) overflowing during the rainy season, no one raises a question as to how there is a water shortage by December. If so, without building additional lakes or catchment areas, it beats me to how there could be 24-hours water supply. Of course, we should also not forget how Mumbai can accomodate more "migrants" while still meeting all these constraints.

Oh! maybe they meant 24-hours water supply to the non-tax-paying, free-housed, underprivileged and the "minority". That's what maybe someone meant by saying the minority has the first claim to the resources of this country. Leeches, get off my back. Enough of plundering Mumbai.

Sem 1 results declared...

By the grace of the Supreme Lord and all the other Gods, Goddesses, saints and gurus, I have managed to pass comfortably semester 1 of the MTech programme.

After days of delay in declaring the results for one of the courses (aka subjects), the results for all the courses in Semester 1 have been declared. While the results for the other courses were out more than a week earlier, we had to wait for the results of one of the courses for at least a week. The big relief is that I have passed the semester. I also seemed to have accomplished my goal of "scoring well" early on to avoid hiccups later on. (A CPI of less than 6 at any point in the MTech programme at IITB will almost always result in being kicked out of IITB. That way, no one in an MTech programme at IITB can be a "5-point someone"...people will always be at least a "6-point everyones".)

My strategy of taking "easy" courses early on seemed to work. I can now look forward to taking "dangerous" courses later on without the fear of dipping below the 6-point mark.