Understanding our Indian Railways

Coming straight to the point as Indian Railways don’t need any background, Indian Railways Pricing structure though not very transparent (because of the lack of information) is quiet easy to understand (analytically).
The various trains are divided into the following categories for pricing –

1. Passenger trains
2. Express trains
3. Super fast trains
4. Rajdhani
5. Shatabdi / Janshatabdi

Further these trains will have different coaches of different classes out of the following nine –

1. 1A = First Class air-conditioned (AC1)
2. 2A = 2 Tier air-conditioned (AC2)
3. 3A = 3 Tier air-conditioned (AC3)
4. FC = First Class NOT air-conditioned
5. EC = Executive chair class, air-conditioned (Available only on Shatabdi Expresses)
6. CC = Chair class, air-conditioned
7. SL = Sleeper Class, NOT air-conditioned
8. 2S = Bookable second class seat, NOT air-conditioned
9. II = Unreserved 2nd class, NOT air-conditioned

Now the charges for a railway ticket which one has to pay are divided into following headings -

1. Base fare – Based upon the category of train and the class, a constant factor has been decided which when multiplied with the distance to be traveled gives the base fare. Furthermore, the constant changes if the travel is above 1000Kms for the same category of the train in the same class.
2. Reservation charge – They are levieied on every reservation made, however, Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains have the reservation charge included in their fares. Logically I think that reservation charges are to cover the infrastructure cost of getting a ticket i.e. manpower, stationary and other resources.
3. Supplementary charge = Super Fast (SF) charge - SF charge is added to all trains that average more than 55 km per hour over the whole of their journey, (any Mail or Express train whose train number begins with a 2), however, Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains have the SF charge included in their fares.
4. Safety surcharge – They are levied on every ticket (including Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains), though the cost will not be shown on the ticket (the reservation and SF charges are), Actual distance rather than chargeable distance is used to work out if your journey is above 500 km.
5. Tatkal Charges – These charges have been included under a Tatkal scheme especially designed for an unpredictable travel plan.The booking under this scheme opens 5 days prior to the trains departure. Further more details on this scheme can be got over here.

These charges discussed above are levied if one purchases the ticket from the reservation counters of the Indian Railways. Four years back they came up with the online Reservation system and thus a few additional charges were born alongwith (to the consumer's plight) –

1. Internet Service charge – Rs 20 for sleeper and lower class while Rs 40 for upper classes per ticket. This seems to be the charges for their infrastructure for facilitating the online transaction.
2. Courier Charges – These charges are levied on only i-tickets and not e-tickets against the courier of the booked tickets. Normally it’s Rs.20 per ticket and is included within the Internet Service Charges.
3. Transaction Charges – Depending upon the mode of payment (Debit Card / Credit Card) and the Bank through which the payment is being done, the customer pays a transaction charge per ticket to the Bank. Either it is some %age of amount being transacted or a fixed amount per ticket.

Example – For a ticket in an express train (A.P. Express) from Hyderabad to New Delhi, the charges I had to pay for an I-ticket are as following –
Base Fare – 1220
Reservation Charges – 25
Super fast Charges – 30
Internet Service Charges – 40
Courier Charges – 20
Transaction Charges (ICICI Bank Debit Card) – 11

Total = Rs. 1346

Manish Saini

Longing for an Irony of Time.......Hampi

(The visual pleasure of the Journey can be enjoyed over here.)

"There is a third dimension to traveling, the longing for what is beyond. "
– Jan Myrdal

Riding is about more than freedom and adventure. It’s about a heightening of the senses. And no season has more to offer than this time of the year. The vibrant greenery of the fields that greet you around each curve, to that sweet smell of the soil after the rain; the riding season has arrived.

A week end followed by 2 breaks had already set a stage for my Bull’s first excursion since its purchase 2 months back. (Hey………this 2 seems so omnipresent).
New to the place, I had no preferences of any sort as for a destination coz as Robert Louis Stevenson quotes –

"I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

And with the Wanderers around, I was sure to get some experienced company to explore this country side.

The wait wasn’t very long when SreeKumar proposed a destination which I had promised myself to visit the day I read about it (in class 8th) – Hampi; Now reduced to The Ruins of Vijaynagar (We will come to it later). With the venue decided, the final arrangements were made at a quick meeting (my first with the Wanderers) on the Friday evening.

Fact – Bloddy Hell!!! I am completely clueless about the spares that I need to carry and Machismo is no game for an ordinary mechanic.

And the Journey Begins………..

Wanderers –

"The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.” - Amelia E. Barr.

The Wanderer Enfield 1979 for the rider Sreekumar

The Wanderer Machismo 2006 for the rider Manish Saini

Fact - The difference in the age of the 2 Bullets is my age.

The ride there……

415 kms is quiet the sort of distance in the Indian context which can make ones drive as eventful as one can dream of. And ours was no different. Even before we could start we were lost J. Guided in the wrong direction we had to traverse around 60 kms extra before being put back on NH7 (Thanks to the AP road map I had bought the previous evening). But I guess we were better off by missing the rash and irresponsible traffic on NH7.

No sooner had we finished off our breakfast at Mehboobnagar and moved further that the beauty of nature started unfolding its wings. I can’t suppress my admiration for the omnipresent designer seeing the incredible unstable equilibrium of the huge rocks, all round our way.


Almost half way into the journey, we crossed the Krishna before entering Raichur and came across a riveting site.

The ingenuity of the architecture of this Thermal Power plant project on the border of the city is really worth an applaud.

A journey on a bullet without a problemo is an oxymoron (he he he….). The older bull had its odometer wire off the tire’s axle which we got repaired from what seemed to be the only Bullet mechanic at Raichur. (I guess this is the state of affairs in most of the cities across India)
Leaving the Thermal Plant city, I could see a huge black cloud rushing towards us from the West as we rushed towards Gangawati. However hard we tried to cross the patch which seemed to lie under the cloud’s impact area, we were unable to beat it. And this sudden burst of torrential shower which threw me from the centre of the road to the side walk separated the two riders which were to regroup again at Gangawati.

On rides like these, when for a long stretch you are all alone with yourself, you can’t resist being philosophical. Thoughts like life, death, purpose, dreams, achievements, losses, human nature, religion, God………all cross your head at one time or the other. It’s not the ride which wears you off; its ones own mind which continuously plays a tug of war of logic with itself which ultimately pushes you to take a break on the next crossing under the huge Banyan tree.

Fact - Refueled my Bull which by now has run 2500 kms and is running at an average of 43 kms per litre. Hard to believe but Sree’s 1979 Bull is still giving an average of 37 kms per litre.

By now we had already lost more than 2 hours of our journey and were now very eager to reach the destination. But the worst part of the trip was still to start from here on. The road from Gangawati to Hampi which is merely 70kms, is a riders nightmare with 53 speedbrakers (What the……..Is this road made for cycles or what?).

Fact – The complete journey of 415Kms has around 161 speed breakers.

The positive side was experiencing the real flavour of the beauty of the Tungabhadra valley. I simply could not resist capturing the coinciding of the human made beauty with the natural one - The Tungabhadra Dam

Hampi

Someone very rightly said “Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.”

Around 6:15pm, as we thumped passed the ruins of the Vijaynagar Empire, the moon light dancing over the remains gave us a peek into its glory. Man…….how eager was I for the sun to rise that evening. It’s been the place I had dreamt of visiting so many times and VOILA…..I was there now.

The weariness of the 10 hour drive seemed to drop off as we entered the ‘Hampi Dwaar’. Unlucky to be a bit late to go across the Tungabhadra into the Hippie Island, we checked out into the cozy Ranjna Guest house and soon checked out the small Hampi Bazaar.
Interestingly, no ‘Proper’ restaurant, hotel or eating joint can be found in this tourist’s heaven. The Bazaar is with dotted with a few Dhabas, the cook of which is the lady in the family of the owner. But take my word these dhabas offer cuisines would make one leap off the floor for such cusines one would get only in specialized restaurants in big cities (and ohh my my……few of the dishes were simply amazing……check out the clips).

Fact - A decent accommodation in Hampi can be easily availed for 250 to 350 Bucks depending upon the tourist traffic. Best time to visit would be between October to March.

The Exploration -

Virupaksha Temple, the Centre of the city, around which the Bazaar has come up has an awe-inspiring Gopuram, the trademark of the south Indian temples. The architecture inside is quiet ordinary as compared to other monuments. I believe that the possible reason might be that this temple was for the public of Hampi because the King’s palace was at some distance from the place. And there were other more beautiful temples around his living place.

Fact - Sree very rightly pointed out that in any place of historical importance, its only the temples which have survived till date while everything has been razed to the ground either by the invaders or time. And Hampi is no different.

Exploring Hampi on foot would have been fun given the beautiful weather. But due to lack of time we were devoid this luxury.
The picturesque location of Vitthala temple just takes your breath away. And the beauty of the temple is an icing on the cake. No wonder, the sculptors chose to suffuse music in every stone of this place (the temple has its uniqueness in the musical pillars).

Fact - We were ENJOYING the RUINS. An Irony which only time can create.

One finds himself at loss of words in front of these beautiful temples, palaces, Baths or the huge sculptures; but the most magnificent thing of the place lies within the ASI museum in Kamlapur – The Plan of the Vijaynagar Kingdom

Almost 2kms the kings complex, the Tungabhadra (Lifeline of Hampi), act as a natural guard while on the two sides the huge rocky mountains eliminate any sort of surprise from the enemy. The only attacking zone lay right infront of the complex which was guarded by 7 walls. And to capture a glorious and well guarded kingdom like this…..boy………..what an army would it had been? Sitting over the side benches and discussing the layout with Sree…….i just wondered what a devastating battle it would have been man!!!

Fact - In Hindu Mythology, Hampi was Known as Kishkinda, the kindom of the monkey kings Bali and Sugriv.

The Journey Back -

Tired of the day’s escapade, back in the room ..And……Voila…..we made another discovery of the day.

Fact - On Reliance phones you cannot set alarms if there is no signal and both of us had a reliance connection only.

But luckily both of us woke in time to reach Gangawati by 8:30 am.
The drive further towards Raichur became a beauty with light showers now and then and the sky completely covered with clouds in the middle of the afternoon.

An exchange of the Bulls on the way gave me a peek into the power of the 79’ model over which I had laid my hands for the first time. On the other hand, Sree had only one word for mine – ‘Remarkable’. A Bullet enthusiasts since late 70s, he was almost overawed by the improvements that Enfield has come up with in the new generation Bulls.

Fact - Bullet Machismo (my Bull) won the TNS automotive award for the best cruiser bike in 2004.

If you have driven a Bullet, you would realize that Bullet does a make a difference to your personality. The Bulls Personality is like someone who has the real ‘Power’ (metal as well as Physical). With Power, responsibility increases and unarguably majority of the Bull riders have lived upto it. Undoubtedly, one can see his confidence levels go up with the Power, and synonymously with Bullet.

After handing up my Bull to the Afzal in Raichur again, we went down to grab a bite around two squares away. On the way back to the workshop, a traffic police cop stops us and seeing recognizing us as tourists (seeing the Andhra number) tries to pull us into a trap to pay him a bribe. I am sure it wasn’t Sree, it was the Bull that stood there and took his stand against the cop. Soon, as people gathered, he took to his heals.

Fact - With a Corruption Perception Index of 2.9, in 2005 India is ranked 88 among 158 countries surveyed by Transparency International.

Full credit to the Rain Gods for making it a day worth registering in our diaries for us. And 3:30pm, back on my bed I was having my lunch exploring sites to fix a date with the next destination. But for now, my Bull needs a small service visit to get it back in shape for the upcoming exploit.

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
- Saint Augustine

Cheers
Manish Saini

Hyderabad to Hampi

The Route
There are three different routes which a rider can pick up depending on his convenience.

Route 1
Hyderabad – (20Km) - Shamshabad –(30km)- Shadnagar –(33km) Jadcherla –(16km) Mahboobnagar –(104km)- Raichur –(135km)- Gangavati –(25km)- Hampi (Hippie Island)
Distance - Total (363Km)

Positive –
Shortest route

Negative –
Gangavati to Hampi is real Bad route which might take an hour or so to cover.

Route 2
Hyderabad – (20Km) - Shamshabad –(30km)- Shadnagar –(33km) Jadcherla –(16km) Mahboobnagar –(104km)- Raichur –(135km)- Gangavati –(53km)- Hospet –(17km) Hampi
Distance - Total (408km)

Positive -
Route is perfectly smooth with a beautiful Landscape from Gangavati onwards.

Negative –
A bit lengthy; marred by 53 speed breakers from Gangavati to Hampi and another 71 from Raichur to Gangavati.

Route 3
Hyderabad – (20Km) - Shamshabad –(30km)- Shadnagar –(33km) Jadcherla –(13km)-Buthpur –(43Km)- Kottakota –(25km)- Pebberu –(49km)- Kurnool –(33km)-Veldurti – (18km)- Dhone –(43km)- Gooty –(28km)- Guntakal –(98km) Hospet –(17km)- Hampi
Distance - Total (450km)

Positive –
You don’t have to leave the National Highway till Hospet which make the route quite safer.

Negative –
Lengthiest of all and NH63 which starts from Gooty, though has beautiful Landscapes, is an awful road to drive upon with huge potholes at regular intervals.

Petrol Pumps -
HPCL,BPCL and Indian Oil petrol pumps have a constant frequency across the whole strech. The Reliance Petrol pump, can be found at approximately every 50 to 80kms, One or two pumps from Essar have also come up on the route.

Caution For the Ride -

1. The road though smooth can be dangerous because of the villagers drying their grains on the road side. (see picture below)
2. Wear a Fully covered helmet to protect your face and eyes from insects which are in abundance due to a heavily cultivated area on the sides.
3. Do take a raincoat for sure.

The Hampi Valley - (in the words of ASI)

Places to Stay -
Hampi is a very basic township. There are just two small populated areas in this township separated by a river where one can look for stay-

1. Hampi Baazar
2. Hippie Island

In the former, People have made guest houses within their houses. Though a whole range of guest houses are available, decent rooms would range from 250 to 350 bucks. We personally found ‘Ranjana Guest house’ as quiet a comfortable place.

The latter is on the other side of Tungabhadra River and the transportation to the island stops after 6 in the evening. For a comfortable stay I would recommend this part of the town where people have made comfortable cottages available at the same cost as a room.
Places to Eat -
I warn you not to get carried away by the looks of the place. Thanks to a heavy traffic of foreign tourists that the cuisines at this place can even make a city like Hyderabad shy. Though you would find mere Dhabas marking the geography of the place, the food overall is well hygienic and consumable for the mere fact that even these Dhabas operate within a house. And yeah, they also match the prices of Hyderabad. Places to Visit -
The photograph below gives you a list of all the 81 places of Tourists interest. Most of them are just next to one another and hence try visiting only the following place in the given order (if you have a vehicle, else take a two-wheeler on rent (150-200bucks)) to make most out of the trip

1. Virupaksha Temple in Hamp Baazar
2. Archeological Mueseum in Kamplapur. The model of the city in the veranda of the Mueseum gives you a top view of Hampi. It implicitly explains the strategic location of the city which was guarded on the back by the Tungabhadra and on two sides by the Rocky Mountains, eliminating the element of surprise from the enemy.
3. Vithalla Temple which is 2km east of Hampi Bazaar on foot and 5 km by road. It is one of those Archeological Geniuses of the medieval India, the ruins of which narrate the
   Queen’s Bath, which is on the way back to the Hampi Baazar
4. Hazaara-Rama temple
5. Lotus Palace and Elephant Stable
6. The Narsimhan Statue

All this can be covered in a day after which you can spend a quiet and peaceful evening on the banks of Tungabhadra and a rave night on the Hippie Island.

But as a warning, let me remind you what a famous author once said -

“A traveler will see what he sees, a tourist will see what he has come to see.”

Cheers....
Manish Saini