Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai With Deccan Queen

As part of my creative writing course with Udemy, one of the writing prompt made me write about Deccan Queen.

Deccan Queen is an emotion for people travelling between Mumbai and Pune.The train recently was in news for celebrating its 90th birthday. There were many articles printed in newspaper. It is only when I was doing this writing prompt, I got nostalgic about all the journeys that I took with Deccan Queen. Most of us have memories travelling in this train, hence I decided to share this write up with you all. 

The train is famous for many firsts, being a fast train with few stops and being always punctual. Named after Maharastra’s famous  plateaus this train definitely enjoys a queen’s  status in Maharashtra. Passengers still take pride in travelling by Deccan queen. But the words that came to my mind with Deccan Queen were Pune, grandparents, cousins, summer vacations, mangoes and of course the journey itself which was full of must dos while travelling on this train. 

I haven’t travelled by train from Mumbai to Pune in ages and my memories date back almost 35 years.As a kid, most of my summer holidays were spent in Pune, as my  Aaji stayed there. It was an annual ritual of spending the month with her and travel to Pune by Deccan Queen. The excitement would start from the moment we came to know we got reservation in Deccan Queen. 

Travelling by Deccan queen meant our journey would start two and half hour early, as we lived in Jogeshwari and it was quite a drive. However, catching the train from VT station, now CST, had its own glamour. All inter city and state trains departed from there. Watching those trains at the backdrop of magnificent architecture of  VT station was a major attraction. 

Passengers managing their luggage, families, kids was fun to watch. It wasn’t the era of  bottled water, so almost every family travelling would have those big flasks, invariably a Milton.  If people were travelling overnight, they would carry those bulky hold-alls too.There were “coolies” in their red uniform and badges carrying luggage were everywhere.  Then there would be an announcement about train arrival, the announcer would request the passengers to maintain a safe distance while Queen was arriving at the platform. 

Once the Queen was at the platform, flurry of activities would take place. People with reservation and a lot of luggage just ran towards their seat, not to sit but to get more space to for their luggage and that too right under their seat. Those who couldn’t do the running around hired a coolie to do the job and there was no beating them in that department. The last ones to enter were the frequent travellers, who would do daily “up-down” as its called. 

The real fun started when the train left from the station.  In 20 minutes or so, the man from pantry would come and took orders for the snack. Deccan Queen was famous for its tasty snacks!  All they offered was omelette bread and veg cutlets and tea/coffee. They were legendary though . It was mandatory to order these snacks for us – omelette for us and veg cutlets for my mom. Most of the passengers placed order and I remember if any passenger needed to use restroom before the pantry guy came, they would request their co-passenger to place an order for them. Everyone cooperates as you just cant miss the snacks in Deccan queen. 

After 30 minutes of so, the smell of the snacks would waffle through the train and everyone is praying for the pantry guy to come and he makes an appearance! He carried a big tray with the snacks neatly packed , with list of orders and distributed them. Omelette or cutlet with bread and butter, chips and reddest of red tomato sauce. I don’t know what they serve in the train anymore, but frankly those chips wouldn’t stand a chance with todays Mc-generation but we loved them. It was a novelty at that time. I still have the taste of those omelettes and cutlets with that sweet sauce and oily chips.

If you were lucky you got snacks served in half an hour, which gave opportunity to eat the famous vada Pav at Karjat, the first stop for the Queen. Buy chikki at Lonavala. Aah! The joys of being a kid and eat guilt free!

If you think , all we did was munch all the way to Pune then No!  We managed to play some antakshari or read a book or sleep.  Appreciate the city of lights, Khopoli.  It was a site to watch the lights in the night. My favourite passtime , however, was definitely observing other passengers. How they dress, how they talk, their body language, how they carry themselves. There was always someone you would notice for their typical demeanour. There was always someone irritating. 

Most of the time we travelled second class and the journey would get cooler from Lonavala. Being a Mumbaikar even a difference of three degrees made us shiver as the climate was definitely cooler that time. 

After Lonavala, almost everyone waited for the journey to end. Thankfully, it was just an hour more. Before Pune station, the train stopped at Shivaji Nagar, where most of the passengers would get down and train got emptier and then our final destination Pune! Start of our summer holidays!

It was just a three hour journey but I have taken many trips and each trip has been enjoyable and memorable. 

#SOCS Jan2- In The Corner

When I saw Linda Hills Prompt for SOCS jan 2 “In The corner” I am thinking of the kitten we are bringing home today. My daughter is busy in planning for her comfort and creating a corner for her which we are calling “Sansa Corner”

Yes! we have named her after the famous Game of Throne Character Sansa. While I am writing this, my daughter has gone to pick up the kitten. We have bought the feeding bowls, a bed (which is yet to arrive) and as this is our first pet, my daughter is extremely excited.

Masala Crab @ Goa’s Martin Corner – You Can’t Miss This

I have visited Goa nine times in last twenty years. Goa is a family favourite destination. When we cant decide where to go, we end up in Goa. Each of my Goan sojourn has had one special memory and for the trip I took last week, the special memory was definitely eating the Masala Crab at Martin’s corner. 

Goa being a coastal region, the availability of good seafood is no surprise. Goa has some great restaurants too. Martin’s corner is one of the most popular eateries in Goa for its crab and is also hailed by the India’s cricket legend – Sachin Tendulkar. It is a celebrity favoured restaurant for sure. 

I tried to visit this place during my previous trips but couldn’t, as we didn’t get a reservation.  However, this visit I was  lucky and we managed to get a table. Generally, when a restaurant is hyped, the actual experience may turn out underwhelming as you have high expectations. I was about to find out. 

The restaurant is located in interiors and its quite a drive to reach there. The atmosphere is quite lively and for a famous restaurant like this, it is not at all intimidating. Its quite casual and friendly and full of tourist having fun. At the entrance you get to see array of fish organised in a glass cabinet. 

Once we were seated and ordered our drinks and were discussing what to order, my husband enquired about their famous crab. The steward attending advised us to go easy on appetisers if we were ordering crab and we went ahead with his suggestions. The restaurant  charges for the fish as per the size and weight and he brought the crab to show us and let us know it weighed almost 900 grams. We had to ok it and then only he would cook. He also suggested to go for a preparation in Goan sauce called- reacheado ( pronounced re-sha-d-oh) For the sides he said he will be serving Goan pao- their local bread. 

We were enjoying our drinks and chitchatting and the steward came back with 3 set of bibs and helped us to put on. Now that was new at least for me. My husband had visited this place before and he mentioned eating that crab is a very messy affair and you end up staining your clothes so everyone wears this. Then he set our table with crab cutter and the knife. Then he brought our cooked masala crab and oh what a site it was!!!!  It was beauty on the plate and we just dug in. 

It was a sensory experience. The sauce was sour, sweet and spicy. The crab sang with that sauce. It was served wth Goan pao and French fries, sautéed vegetables. It was just perfect! Eating a crab is tiring with all the cutting and getting the crab meat out but then because of it you are fully present while eating it. With our hands full of masala gravy, we couldn’t touch our phones and we were eating with all of our senses. It certainly was a lot of food for three of us and we were wise to order light appetisers. At the end of it frankly, I was exhausted. Eating that crab was a workout in itself. The picture of the crab mallet seems like it is tired too and needs rest!

Thats what made the entire experience memorable just not for me but even for the couple seating on our next table. The couple was on their honeymoon. On seeing the glorious looking crab served to us  and the way we were eating and enjoying, the young lady couldn’t stop herself from asking me about it. “How was it? I think I am regretting not ordering it”. I told her very sincerely if she still has some more time in Goa, she must come back and eat. She looked at me and said “ I am sure I am coming back and eating that” 

Incidentally we went back to the Martin’s corner after two days again!

21 Ideas For 2021 Resolution

 

Its that time of the year! We are looking forward to turn a page and embark on something new. What better way than setting up a new year resolution to do that! Weight loss, exercising 5 days a week, changing a job, almost everyone makes these new year resolution only to keep up with it for a week or may be for a month.  Very few really stick to it and achieve.  The reason is, we often set up things we know we wont be able to stick to. 

How about going for a resolution which is easier to stick to? I am listing out few resolution ideas which I am sure you will find it easier to stick to. Some of them will bring you positivity, some of them are pure joy and some of them will challenge your body, mind and patience. Take your pick. 

  1. Think of three things that you are grateful for the day, lying in your bed every night.
  2. Try a new recipe every 15 days
  3. Order a pizza on every 10th of the month  
  4. Read 5 best selling  books or decide a number of books that you will read for the year 
  5. Go meatless for a day once a week, if you are vegetarian go dairy free once a week 
  6. Call up someone, not necessarily same person, from your in-laws side every month. (this is challenging but benefits far outweighs the efforts)
  7. Agree with everything your spouse and children have to say once a week. Do not disclose the day you plan to do this. It needs to shock them. Am I being aggressive with once a week target? Then make it 15 days. 
  8. Write at least 5 lines every day about your day. Handwritten diaries are more fun but an app on your phone will do equally good. They are fun to read. 
  9. Stay away from youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, snapchat once a week.  (This one is for people who really like challenges) 
  10. Do not share , react or comment on any political issue mail, forward. 
  11. Visit historical or famous places in you city or nearby places. Be a tourist in your own city. 
  12. On the occasion of every family member’s birthday, donate money or food
  13. Give up white flour 
  14. Walk  6000 steps every day 
  15. Don’t use lift till 5th floor of a building or use stairs at least once a day 
  16. Work on running for 5 km. It need not be a race. Do it for pure joy. 
  17. Start your Youtube channel , blog or Instagram handle. Showcase your best skills, hobby.
  18. Plan for a certain amount to save for the year and work on it 
  19. When you buy a new outfit give away one old outfit from your wardrobe 
  20. Make a list of 12 things that make you happy and do one every month for the year 
  21. Make a list of people whom you really appreciate and look up to and send a note to them mentioning why you admire them on their birthdays. 

I hope you agree these ideas are not very difficult and easy to stick to. Some of them will become a habit, some will become a tradition, some will improve your relationships and some will give you joy. 

Let 2021 be the year of positivity and resolutions that you can stick to.  Happy new year!

20 Things You Did Differently In 2020

We are in the last leg of the strangest year we have experienced. 

It was a tough year for most of us and there is at least one setback each of us has  experienced.  We have seen and done things which we never thought we would. However, this blog is not at all for ranting about how hard this year has been but about 20 things that you did differently, and that too positive in 2020. 

20 is an ambitious number but I am going to try. 

  1. You learnt to appreciate your home. We spent most of this year being locked down in home. There are many who are homeless and we should feel lucky that we had a roof over our head.
  1. Your mental health is of paramount importance for you now. Far too many times we focus on our body and not on mind.  2020 taught you to focus on your mind. Some of you meditated, some you took up writing, helped needy people. You are inclined towards things that bring you peace and happiness. 
  1. You got to spend  a lot of time with family.  In the humdrum of life, we had forgotten family bonding and 2020 gave us a chance to be with the family. Many were able to develop even deeper bond and some have realised they need to leave and move on. 
  1. Social distancing and isolation proved you can survive without socialising 
  1. You were resilient this year.  There were many restrictions and every one found their way to overcome and move forward. 
  1. You  work differently. Lot of us are working from home now and many found an opportunity to work for themselves and fulfil long cherished dream. 
  2. You became a master chef. Almost everyone has tried a banana bread, dalgona coffee or cooked something fancy which normally you wouldn’t have.  
  1. You have developed social awareness.  Being in India, I see a refreshing new development where people are going out of their way to help people in need. Much needed for a country like India. 
  1. Youtube is the new gym.You are more conscious of your health. We no longer need to go to gym to be fit. Maintaining hygiene, boosting immunity and physical well being is a priority now. 
  1. Life is more important than success and wealth. I read an article about Steve Job’s last days where he said “At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realise that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.”    We are lucky 2020 has helped us to understand that from close quarters.
  1. You developed a new found hobby or interest. My husband makes an effort to look at our house plants and see if they are in good health.  Thats what they call smell the roses. 

12) You are conscious of wasteful expenditure now.  With limited resources, job losses, pay cut you are more conscious of how we spend money and use available resources 

13) You learnt to “Adapt” 

14) You  replaced “My internet is not working” with “I am not feeling well” to bunk work 

15) You didn’t have to think of a good excuse to skip a party or a family event 

16) If you are an Indian women, you no longer are needy for the maids as you are accustomed to doing our own chores now.  The equation has changed considerably. Previously you begged them to come to work now they beg to you to take them back to work. 

17) Everyone was lucky when it came to weight. Some managed to lose weight by eating home cooked food. I also consider people who put on weight lucky too, as they ate what they enjoyed. It was a blessing to have access to good food especially in the backdrop of migrant workers dying of hunger. 

18) You  had time to fight for justice for Sushant Singh Rajput.

19) Zoom, Google meet are your new hangout place.

20)“YOU” have survived.  

If you are reading this then it means you survived one of the most difficult years and going forward you are going to be just fine. 

Wishing you a very happy 2021!