what must be the most comfortable overnight train from aurangabad unloaded us onto platform 13 of the chhatrapati shivaji terminus or more affectionately known by its old moniker, the victoria terminus. A proud member of the unesco world heritage club since 2004, the victoria terminus also happens to be the world's busiest train station. at 5.30 in the morning, i could not tell. after depositing my backpack at the cloakroom, i treaded cautiously around the comatose bodies sprawled all over the waiting hall and made my way towards the exit, still undecided whether to grab a cab or walk what appeared to be on the map a two-kilometre route to colaba. the dimly lit streets outside the victoria terminus slowly stirred to life as time drew closer to sunrise. the bus stand slowly packed in the ... read more

he did a double take when he saw the destination on my electronic ticket. "sanchi?!" the ticket inspector looked at me bewildered, trying hard to fathom why anyone would pay almost 300 rupees to travel in 2AC (second air-conditioned) class only to get off at the next stop when one could take the local bus for less than 30 rupees. well, i had my reasons, and very good ones too. 1. the train ride was thirty minutes, one-third the duration of the bus journey. 2. i just got off the comfortable, almost luxurious bhopal shatabdi express. it would be too cruel to send myself reeling from first-class train heaven to squashed-like-sardine bus hell. 3. between the two trains was just an one-hour wait (and both trains were on time!). it would be too much of a ... read more

i saw jesus two days in a row at varanasi, but more on that later. meanwhile, don't think dirty. a hop, skip and jump in the air transported me to a completely different world where serenity is overrun by chaos, where muted tones rupture into a palette of psychedelic hues, where agoraphobic criminals are banished for life as punishment, where amiable, well-mannered touts morph into their rude, aggressive, almost violent alter-egos, where dust and dirt are joined by their buddies namely pee, poo and a bunch of other unmentionables, where a one-road town transforms into a labyrinth of unlit, unsignposted dank alleys which you would think twice venturing into after dark lest you trip over a sleeping bovine! welcome to varanasi. i had been in india for a week. already accustomed to the low prices of ... read more

it may be winter but mid-days in north india can be sweltering. as beads of perspiration trickled down my forehead, i knew i had to take off my hoodie before i suffered a heat stroke. clearly, my little striptease act made the old indian lady sitting next to me on the bus very uncomfortable. she turned to her husband sitting in the window seat and complained in hindi about my lewd behaviour. she bitched and bitched and bitched some more until the husband could not take it and they started quarrelling. if only i understood hindi. i would have changed my seat if i could but the bus was full. i never saw or sat on an indian bus that was not at least packed to 20% in excess of its maximum passenger capacity. one would ... read more