RANDOM THOUGHTS

            NELLAI JUNCTION 7.00 to 7.30 AM  Nothing fascinates me more than the business or entrepreneur spirit of the People of the erstwhile District of Tirunelveli which  now has expanded to TUTICORIN , TENKASI AND A PART OF IT INTO THE KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT . Leave alone the TVS , POTHY'S , RMKV , VASANTH AND CO , SARAVANA - SELVARATNAM STORES , AMALGAMATIONS OR MANY OTHERS OF ITS CLASS . The ANNACHI KADAI have made their mark in totally unchartered waters of MATUNGA , CHEMBUR , DHARAVI , ANTOP HILL and a dozen other places in Mumbai , Ballygunge in Kolkata , Camp and Sector 10 Market in Bhilai , Gole Bazar in Kharagpur , Karol Bagh in the National Capital.  These are all besides the many Grocery , Fruit and Flower shops in every nook and corner of Tamil Nadu . Before 7AM every morning ,  near half a dozen trains from Chennai , Coimbatore , Bangalore arrive at Tirunelveli Junction Railway Station . Platform number 4 and 5 is where al...

                       HARD TO BELIEVE  Of and On there is always a controversy and postings on the Social Media each time there is an announcement of an increase in the number of AC COACHES in any Train Route . The ever popular rant of the POOR being short changed to keep doing the rounds .  One key member in one of my WhatsApp Group is a very vocal and articulate supporter of this view and wastes no time in pointing this out whenever the issue arises  . I had a surprise waiting for me when I tried booking tickets from Tirunelveli to Chennai Egmore in AC 3 TIER  with a departure earmarked for the 7 th of July . With more than a month of interval , I had not expected much difficulty in getting confirmed reservation as I was looking for disembarkation point at Chengalpattu with a visit to Kanchipuram and Thennangur in mind . Surprise , Surprise , no accomodation was available in any AC CLASS be it 2,3 TIER or...

            A NIGHTMARE OF A TRAVEL  For want of a better option , we had to book  Berths in AC 3 Tier on Train No 16252 YESHWANTPUR - KOCHUVELI EXPRESS from Yeshwantpur to Kollam on 28 -05-26 . WE , meaning a 75 and 73 Year old couple had confirmed ,  reserved lower berths in Coach B 10 under the PNR 4649729251 . I am sure many of the readers might be wondering as to what is a Couple whose final destination is Ambasamudram doing in a Train Proceeding to Kollam . We made the reservation while we were in Canada by the IRCTC Website. A wedding of a very close relative was scheduled on the 28 th of May . We managed to get onward  reserved accomodation by the Nagercoil - SMVB Express , but return was a big issue and hence we chose the Kollam Route . The Wedding was conducted on a grand scale at the JP NAGAR BRIGADE MILLENIUM SQUARE.  Having been a resident of Bangalore for a while and also a frequent visitor ,  we were aware of the...

       RETURN TO INDIA FROM CANADA  It is now almost close to a year that we are away from India . We had booked our return Tickets on the 12 th of  May by The Etihad Airways Flight EY 22 from Toronto to Abu Dhabi and the Flight EY 364 from Abu Dhabhi to Chennai . This was much before the skirmishes in the Gulf Region had started to make Headlines .  The reason for Choosing Etihad Airways as our Travel Partner was pretty obvious . Besides being cheaper , their  travel time was also less . Barring the Transit Halt at Abu Dhabhi for 4 Hours , the entire trip was of  less than 24 hours duration  . The all important TWO check in baggages for each of us was a definite advantage. Most Airlines restrict the same to one per head . The Gulf Crisis and Iran War commenced on the 28 th of Feb and started escalating by the day . Drone and Warheads damaging Oil and other Financial Institutions in the UAE  were sporadic. Dubai Airport took a few h...

                  30/4/23  COATS STAFF GET                                    TOGETHER  Madura Coats Staff have all been in  a diverse group . Be it the Spinning , Weaving , Processing or  any other Supporting but equally  important functions , the common binding  thread that ran  among all the staff was working as a Group .This is  distinctly different from working for one's own individual climb up the ladder of supremacy as is mostly the case with the less successful organizations.  A lot many   have worked  for a few years in Madura Coats and gone on to make their mark in their subsequent places of work . A few  have worked their entire career in this esteemed company .  Service in Madura Coats because of its work practices and ethics have gone on to be recognized in their subsequen...

                      TAKING CARE OF US  22 nd April is one more Landmark Day for us  It has been 34  years since you embraced us in your fold and made us very much a part of you - Maruthi . I guess the one item closest to a person's heart after your Family is your HOUSE .  The name Maruthi was always a favourite with my parents and it gives me an immense sense of fulfillment for naming our HOME  as Maruthi . The pleasure is even more when I recollect the many many hours that  I spent in the scorching sun and the pouring rain while   overseeing  Maruthi being built brick by brick and the financial and physical hardships that we  have had to face to make that happen . The Grahapravesam on 22nd April 1992 is still fresh in my mind .  This ,  in  a place which was originally a Cricket Ground where I have  played many a match in the Inter Unit and District level Crick...