RANDOM THOUGHTS

              ON WAY TO MY VILLAGE    நம்ம கிராமத்துக்கு போகும்  நேரம்                         हम चले अपने गांव  Calcutta / Kharagpur to Chennai and then to  Ravanasamudram as a School going kid was always special and a  most welcome annual  event .           22 Platform Howrah Train Station  Each year , during the Summer Holidays the  near 75 Hour Train Journey which included 15 hours of transit  at the then Madras and now Chennai Stations    (Central and Egmore ) and finally the long wait  at the Tirunelveli Junction station  to catch the connecting Shencottah Passenger train was always a much looked forward to Event . Single platform RAVANASAMUDRAM   Each year had its own share of new thrills and experiences . Travelling as we did in the super comfort of the British Era...

        IT IS BY FAR THE CHEAPEST HERE  AS ALL YOU FRIENDS MAY BE AWARE , BY A GOOD FORTUNE OF THE GRACE OF THE  GOOD LORD ABOVE  , I HAVE TRAVELLED FAR AND WIDE ACROSS THE GLOBE AND HAVE ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL BY TRAIN IN MANY OF THESE COUNTRIES . SITTING HERE IN CANADA I CAME ACROSS A BOARD WHICH WAS POSTED IN ANOTHER GROUP WHICH SHOWED THE PASSENGER TRAIN FARE DETAILS EX AMBAS TO VARIOUS PLACES . WE , WHICH INCLUDES ME , YOURS TRULY FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON LIKE TO CRITICIZE THE SERVICE PROVIDERS BE IT FROM THE STATE OR CENTRAL AUSPICES FOR NO LOGICAL REASON AND DO A GREAT DISSERVICE TO OUR NATION BY PAINTING IT IN ALL THE WRONG COLOURS. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE PASSENGER TRAIN FARE FROM AMBASAMUDRAM TO KOVILPATTY . FOR THE 100 KM DISTANCE THE FARE ON THE INDIAN RAILWAYS IT  IS  Rs 25 OR 40 PAISE PER KILOMETER .              FORTY PAISE PER KILOMETER  WHEN YOU COMPARE THE SAME WITH THE TRAIN F...

               SIVATATHRI -2026 AT AJAX  This year we were at Ajax in Toronto Canada on the Sivarathri Day and had to do away with our usual practice of  visiting 9 Siva Temples in and around Agasthiarpatty when we were back in India .  We made this up by doing the KAALA POOJA at home and visiting the PICKERING ARULJOTHI SIVALAYAM .  Both were very fulfilling in every way and made us to feel at home as if we were back  in India.  (It pains to say this but in many ways they were better than what we experience back at home ) At home the KAALA POOJA WERE PERFORMED WITH DUE CARE AND DEVOTION.  OHM SHIVAYA NAMAHA . HARA HARA MAHADEV 

   MANJOLAI POST OFFICE CLOSING DOWN  " MANJOLAI KILITHANO " famous song from the movie KIZHAKAY POGUM RAYIL might have vanished from the memory from almost all barring a very few  cinegoers of  the 70s or 80 s . The place MANJOLAI which finds mention in this song is a Scenic and Picturesque place located in the Western Ghats or Pothigai Malai close to Ambai and Kallidai in Tirunelveli District of Tamilnadu . The British were the first to establish Tea Plantations here way back in 1919 which was subsequently leased out to Bombay Burmah Trading Company for 99 Years . Generations have toiled in these lands and been a part of this land in more ways than one . Being deep inside the mountains , INDIA POST was the only mode of Communication for the people of these parts . Mobile phones came much later . For better or worse these plantations are now closed and have  made way for the Wildlife Sanctuary about which I shall detail later. THIS  POST OFFICE IS NOW...