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Update (2011-06-03): This post is no longer valid as the railways have now withdrawn the usage of the GO Mumbai (B.E.S.T.) Smart Card on the railways.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).