Cattle class to world class

I am one of those who used to enjoy a train journey; for both short and long trips, especially since the introduction of A/C coaches. In the pre-mobile days, it was the best way to get cut off from your regular, stressful world with enough time to relax, ruminate, read, and sleep a lot!!

It is a far cry from the kind of train journeys my family used to undertake when I was young and living in Bombay, visiting relatives in Madras, every few years. Unlike the instant-reservation facility on the net that you have today, I remember the trouble my dad had to undergo to get reserved train tickets. He would reach VT station in Bombay the night before (with a flask of coffee and some snacks that my mother would pack for him) so that he could be first in the queue only to find that many others thought like him. He was invariably at the end of the queue, facing a “tickets-sold” board, by the time he reached the counter! He would have to invade the station several times to get reservations for some train or the other going to Madras. If getting reservations was an ordeal, the actual journey was much worse!

In spite of having reserved seats (no sleeping berths then), the journey was nightmarish. All kinds of people would get into the reserved compartment, in mid-stations, and occupy every inch of space in the passage, making it difficult for anyone to even reach the toilet without walking over people.

If anyone questioned such “unreserved” passengers, the instant retort would be “You have only reserved the seat and not the passage, so shut up!” The T.C., whose palms must have been adequately greased, would be conspicuous by his absence.

The compartment would be noisy, filthy, and with an unbearable stench emanating from the toilet. As there was no A/C, the compartment would be hot, humid, and dusty and when you reached your destination you would be like a “fried ladies finger!”And there was no question of hawkers entering the compartment. You had to carry your own food for the entire train journey. The Minister who referred to travel by Economy class in Airlines as “Cattle Class” had obviously not traveled by such trains in his lifetime! It was worse than cattle class!!

We surely have come a long way since those days; with Railways making every effort to make train journeys comfortable. Providing you value for money. The more you are willing to pay, the better the facilities. Three-Tier, Two-Tier, or First Class A/C, and if it is a day train you have the A/C Chair Car! Traveling by Brindavan in the A/C chair car between Chennai and Bangalore, was always a special experience for me! I used to sleep, read, and occasionally also wrote articles. I am yet to travel by  Vande Bharath trains which are considered to be world class.

 
One enduring memory I have of the train as a foody, is the parade of vendors from the pantry car, selling a variety of mouth-watering snacks, which I used to find hard to resist! While in the Shatabdi, where the caterers mechanically serve you fixed items at appointed times with clockwork efficiency; the vendors in Brindavan were more human, friendly, and very hard working. Imagine having to walk up and down the aisles of the coaches hundreds of times in a day, holding the tray of snacks in one hand and balancing themselves, by holding on to seat tops with the other hand. That too in an undulating train, running at high speed.And doing this day after day, for a living. Great guys! Hats Off to them.

I also admired the guys who go around selling tea or coffee in the train. The way they balance the hot steel containers between their legs, leaning on the side of the seat, adding a spoon of Nescafe and sugar into the cup, and then filling it up with the watery milk from the container to give you a hot cup of a concoction called Coffee! No wonder the term “train coffee” or “train tea” has become synonymous with bad coffee or tea!

While I enjoyed train journeys while I was still in my sixties, today as an Octogenarian I shudder at the thought of traveling by train because of the insecurities associated with age. I find a long walk to the reserved compartment, climbing the staircases in stations, and even getting on to the train with senior citizens' unfriendly steps and the use of ever-shaky toilets causing me anxiety and stress. These days I prefer traveling by flight if it is a distant city and by car if it is a town involving five to six hours of driving. Thanks to the excellent conditions of the National Highways, it is a pleasure traveling by road, provided you don`t have any health issues preventing such travel.

 

A memorable meeting- making people happy!

I was a guest speaker at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Chennai Spotlight, an all-women club in which my elder daughter Kavitha is a Board member. I spoke on my favorite topic `Thinking out of the box`. I recalled many instances where I found solutions to problems by thinking out of the box. The most outstanding solution related to my wife, which became a turning point in her life and our relationship. The story about what I did with an explosive letter she wrote to me pouring her heart out about her position in the joint family. Story of how that letter became the starting point of her becoming an accomplished writer in Tamil.

 I also shared some insights from my forty-six-year association with the Rotary Club of Madras South of which I am a Past President. Addressing the three new members who were inducted at the meeting and the other members of the club in the audience, I shared the following piece of advice I had received when I joined Rotary.

 `Please get involved in any of the avenues of service in Rotary that appeals to you. Don`t join Rotary expecting immediate rewards. First, get involved, and give your time and resources that you can spare. Enjoy Rotary. Results and rewards will follow. The biggest reward you can get is the satisfaction and happiness you feel when the project that you are in charge of is successfully completed and appreciated by others.

 I also told them that they are in Rotary because of their vocation But they must remember that Family comes first and only then the Job ( Vocation) before service to society. They will make new friends through Rotary who could become their lifelong friends.

 Obviously, the inspirational talk I gave was a resounding success judging by the following short Whats App message I received from my daughter after the meeting

 “Appa the talk was a super hit! Everyone is speaking about it. Many were emotional saying that you reminded them of their dads…. Of course, that bit about Amma was as usual the clincher!”

 I felt like a celebrity when after the meeting many members were keen to take selfies with me. I went home satisfied with the fact that instead of making one person happy every day, as I usually do, I could make a bunch of vibrant members of the Rotary Club of Chennai Spotlight happy this evening.

 

I am fine with all my aches and pains

Whenever anyone asks me these days, `How are you? How is your health?`- my response usually is  `I am doing well with all the aches and pains `. At 81 I realize that however well I look after myself in terms of leading a very disciplined life, I cannot stop the aging process. I cannot stop the aches and pains that come with old age.

In the last month, I have had a problem with my right leg. Starting from the hip down the thigh and knee I get nagging  pain from time to time. Not excruciating but irritating. Making it difficult for me to go for my morning walks;  unable to sit and work on my PC or drive my car; all essential activities to keep me going. Since I believe in sharing all my problems with friends it is not surprising that I got many suggestions to resolve the problem.

A doctor in the group recommended complete bed rest. Another friend suggested applying a cold pack on the pain area; it is better to apply a hot pack suggested someone else. Applying both alternately was a third suggestion.  My Sambandhi said that the hot pack must be applied on the lower back area and not on the pain points as the lower back is the starting point for all the nerve and muscle-related problems in the leg. Go for physiotherapy, apply so and so ointment, take herbal concoction, wear a waistband, Ayurveda with oil massage is the best solution were a few other recommendations. A friend said that he had resolved a similar problem by going for a procedure with an expensive injection.

Initially, the treatment prescribed by my family doctor was for muscle-related problems. He gave me a muscle relaxant to be taken for a few days. The Physio that I consulted also confirmed this and gave me a massage using dry needle therapy ( not acupuncture). I also spent a few days at my daughter`s place taking complete rest. Since my pains continued to make me suffer and my son was sure that it was Sciatica that  I was suffering from, I went back to my family doctor who now confirmed that what I was going through was sciatica and prescribed me some medicines. My physio suggested that I continue with the exercises that he had already recommended.

Not content with all these I decided to consult Dr.Google in the matter, which I normally don`t do. Dr.G  recommends keeping a pillow between the knees while sleeping sideways at night. He also dissuades people with sciatica  from having bed rest and suggests that walking must be continued. Most important; Dr.G says the sciatica symptoms vanish after a month or two on their own. All these were also reconfirmed by my family doctor.

I am feeling better now and have started going for morning walks, though shorter than my usual time. Started pounding on my PC again though I still have a problem driving. Since I have already crossed the one-month time limit, I am hoping I will be completely rid of the problem soon. I am sure my Lord Venkatachalapathy & Shirdi Saibaba will ensure that!

Hitting 90… racing towards a century!

It was the 90th Birthday of T.H.Iyer popularly known among friends as German Iyer. A title conferred on him by none other than the Periava of the Kanchi Mutt. He had spent more than forty years in Germany. He is popular among his legion of friends and well-wishers for his positivity and never say die attitude. He is truly an inspiration and a role model for several of his friends and family. It is a pleasure watching him go for a brisk walk or jog at Bessy (Elliot's beach road in Besant Nagar). His elder son Mani had organized a Breakfast get-together at a restaurant in Besant Nagar for a group of selected walking and other friends on his official birthday on 5th May. I got an opportunity to say a few words about Mama on the occasion and present a gift on behalf of the Elite walking group. He is one of the senior citizens I had persuaded to pen his autobiography which was published two years ago. All present, including me, wished Mama a long life and wanted to see him hit a century. I am sure he will do it, considering his obsession to keep himself fit.