Temple and Sport

Travel in Tamil Nadu-Part 1

Maddening Travel

Part 1-Madras to Srirangam*-2001

After a tiring week at work, I decided all of a sudden one Friday evening that I would get away from Madras for a few days.

I took the unreserved coach of the Rockfort Express. As was the case then and many times in my subsequent trips, I sat next to the door in a crowded Friday night train, sleepless through the night.
(Unreserved compartments are not for hygiene freaks, neither are they for those who want a good night’s sleep on the train. However, travel in Southern Railways’ unreserved compartments+ will give in good measure, an account of how another side of India lives)

1. As the train moved through Ariyalur (this station is about 70 kms from Trichy) that night, my thoughts itched back to ‘recollections’ I had had of that fateful night in the 1950s when the then Tuticorin Express (now Pearl City) crashed at the Ariyalur river bridge (heavy rains/flooding had weakened the bridge and loosened the soil) leading to death of several people. Every time, I travel through this bridge, my heart stops for a moment.

2. The halt at Kallakudi Palanganatham around 3amish provided two interesting sidelights:

The station is famous for the protests around its name:
This station was for long called Dalmiapuram as it stands right next to the Dalmia Cements factory but for years the name evoked protests and finally some years ago the name changed to what it is today- Kallakudi Palanganatham.

b. With me handling so many IT/BPO companies and with so much talk now centering on work life at night and impact on employee health, my thoughts when the train reached this station was on the factory workers who for decades have worked tirelessly through the night in not so favourable environment, and yet without any complaints. Every time I pass this station, I find thick smoke out of the funnel on top of the factory. No body ever seemed to complain. But within years of the BPO bull run, we seem to have an over skew towards ‘issues relating to health’ and the like. For all that, BPO employees (working the nights) are having a rocking time.

3. The next station I eagerly waited for was Lalgudi**- 2 reasons- a. My father had done a little bit of his schooling there. b. There was the level crossing flyover I was watching out for.

With so much talk of flyovers and delayed deadlines, I was curious on the flyover status on this one - between Lalgudi and Toll Gate. Thankfully, its now up and running bringing to end what once (I had been on this road in the 1970s) seemed a never ending traffic bottleneck at the railway level crossing that jammed the traffic between Srirangam and Lalgudi.

Lalgudi and ahead, one can get a first glimpse of the Uchi Pillayar Koil, on the left, just as you cross the Pichandar Koil station. And then within a few seconds, you get a beautiful sight, on the right, of the Srirangam temple and several of the towers including a superb view of the ‘fully lit’ towering gopuram as the rockfort express rambles past the Coloroon bridge.

4am is the time to alight at Srirangam, a little behind schedule. A bath at the Srirangam station and I was wrapped in Veshti by 430am.Srirangam station is all buzzing-auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws outside and the man at Vegetarian stall inside. It would surprise many, that the breakfast for the Chennai bound Pallavan Express (scheduled to reach Srirangam at 645am) is made and packed here between 430am and 630am.

After the early morning milk at the stall, I took a 10 minute walk through the streets of Srirangam to reach the main temple at 515am(the other option is to pay a fixed Rs. 20 for an auto drop right outside the temple)

Just for those who haven’t been this early to Srirangam….the island+ town is up and running by 5am…On the banks of the Cauvery, you have people taking their morning bath. On the streets, you have the residents with their early morning street kolams, the fitness enthusiasts(yes, there are quite a few morning walkers in Srirangam) have already covered the four streets around the temple and the main street opposite the temple is well lit with tea shops, prasadam stalls all open and playing the morning prayer songs. An indication of the changing scenario (read privatization) is that these days it is the FM radio that plays!!! By 530am, there are a 100 plus devotees waiting outside the temple for the doors to open.

By 6am, its time for Vishroopa Darshanam at the Ranganatha Sannadhi. Lord Ranganatha is woken up with a splendid Veena recital, played by a man whose sincerity doesn’t seem to have waned one bit in all these years. By this time, the temple elephant is already on its way from the Cauvery having brought the sacred waters for the Lord, which it splashes on the Lord with a huge roar.

It is a sight not to be missed.

Having finished the temple darshan by 8am, its now time for the special breakfast at the 40 year old venkatesa bhavan (started in 1960s). A plate of pongal, dosai and a coffee costs less than Rs. 15 but quality and service have remained the same as the one I tasted in the 1980s.

A trip to Trichy is not complete without a stroll around the Burma Bazaar (stated by many to be the ‘original Burma Bazaar’-there are many versions today of this in different cities in TN) and an ice cream(rather several ice creams) at Michaels(the costliest ice cream was still only Rs. 3.50 then) right next to the Clive’s hostel(Remember Battle of Plassey /Governor of Bengal-Yes Robert Clive stayed here. He even had a house in Trichy).

From Trichy, a 2 hour bus trip took me to Kumbakonam through Thanjavur. This is a landmark route** on the TN road map- that passes through the beautifully green BHEL plant, the huge REC campus, NIT, Vennar Bank and Papanasam.

+ Unreserved compartments in Indian Railways are generally 3 bogies –one just next to the engine in the front and two at the tail end of the train

* Srirangam is an island with Cauvery on the Southern side and Coloroon on the Northern side

**Lalgudi, a small town 20kms north of Trichy is well known in the Carnatic Music circle for bringing one of the best exponents of violin ‘Lalgudi’ Jayaraman

To be continued……………

Labels: Travel in TN

posted by PRabhu S @ 3:50 pm