The Indian Railway ride!

Picture Courtesy: Thomas Becker

Railways were introduced to India in 1853, and by the time of India's independence in 1947 they had grown to forty-two rail systems. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit—Indian Railways—to form one of the largest networks in the world. Accommodation classes range from general through first class AC. Trains have been classified according to speed and area of operation. All trains are officially identified by a five-digit code.

But today, I want to share with you my memorable experiences while working on various assignments through HRLN. I prefer travelling by train mostly for some work assignments. My travels across different states of India have been the most adventurous, amazingly colorful and completely unforgettable. I have captured many moments in my varied mobile camera's (good, bad and ugly ;)) when travelling by the train. Along with all the crucial timelines and duties I've had the best time to see the countryside of India via the Indian Railways!

What made my travels by rail so outstanding are that I never missed the opportunities to interact with people who came from various Indian States, who spoke different languages and filled me up with all the historical/cultural knowledge bank I always wanted know. The journeys all together have given me the time observe children on the railway platforms.

What you saw in the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire', comes quite fleetingly in front of your eyes while waiting to catch a train at the railway platform.


Picture Courtesy: Karuna Dayal. (Taken from a Sony Ericsson Cybershot phone)

The Indian Railways experience has given much more to me and that is the ability to grasp as much as I can in this small life and leaving a million of smiles behind.....

No ice breaker....this one!

Delhi rains are great when it comes to beating the heat after some various sunny, scorching, sweaty, shaggy afternoons. Yesterday was no different, it brought heavy showers all around washing away the layers of dry, rough and dusty sheets of adulterated air.

Just one thing that kept at it was the water logging that might not sway all the hopes that the best and the worst builders and contractors are still planning for the re-arrangements of Delhi roads and pavements for Commonwealth games coming up so sooner! To add to it is the already dug up pathways with piles of mud and soil from the deep down earth clogging all the ways from where the rain water could find their way.

Nevertheless, our dear managers for the games keep at it. Putting patches of soil, charcoal and the like to keep it momentarily away from some surprises shoving their way up again!

Till then....

The NGO Diary: Activism Vs. Food

Picture Courtesy: deviant art

When you are working with an NGO, everything seems to either be perfectly correct or going completely wrong.While we mostly work for a living there are many who who work to enjoy food at the expense of  "Global Food Losses and Food Waste", a study released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)Food waste is "more a problem in industrialised countries, most often caused by both retailers and consumers throwing perfectly edible foodstuffs into the trash" ..... At (one of my previous organisations) the 'Titanic' every morning I saw some of my colleagues starting their day with street food and slurping it away happily. In Delhi, 'street food', the best of its kind is 'katchori', 'jalebi', 'chaat', 'pakore', 'gol guppas' and people usually don't get bored with this uber category of foods available.

It has also brought to light a very significant importance and direct co-existence of food as the biggest motivational factor.

I have noticed my good observation skills have kept me interested in knowing more about a lot things including people.This month, while there have been humongous task lists to finish by the deadline, all I see around me is food piling up! Social workers eating food and doing nothing and the others fighting for the right to food for poor and getting nothing. While working for human rights causes is a serious affair, I have been shocked enough to overcome the vaporous feeling with which some people work in this industry. Eating food is what keeps them going!

“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied…and it is all one.” 

— M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating