Holidays: for pain?

From nightmarish train journeys to polluted environs, a holiday just isn't the same any more, says GOUTAM GHOSH.

AS I had hoped, the vacation began with a bang - with the 6716 Rameswaram-Coimbatore Express grinding to a halt just 20 metres out of Madurai Junction. One ingenious passenger had chosen to bungee-jump, gripping the alarm chain. It took two hours to restore the train's system to normal, which meant that we would miss the link train at Coimbatore to Mettupalayam. As the Railway zones put in many man-hours to chart the yearly time table, and as there is built-in slack time, the timings can be altered for smooth connections.

There are just two trains from Mettupalayam to Udhagamandalam to clear the holiday rush. There must have been around 500 passengers waiting to board the train - meant for 200 - at Coimbatore. I leapt across the tracks, boarded the moving train and got three seats, two by the window. Later, each coach with four cubicles had 100 heads, including children, the aged and women. The two cubicles for women were filled like jars of pickle, the women screaming at one another all the way. Most of those seated were amused, though their plight did not justify laughter.

Long before the train stopped at the Udhagamandalam platform, anxious young women and men shoved one another and barged in before those inside could get off. Suitcases falling on heads, toes being trampled upon, evoked no protest from those clawing for a seat. A proof of what Neurologist V. S. Ramachandran had said: "Pain is an opinion."

Passengers to Udhagamandalam finally landed on the platform. Slippers and sandals broke and there was chaos even as the train slithered out. Later, from a hotel adjacent to the station (that offers poor facilities and extremely poor service at a high tariff), I saw a man pushing in a girl through a compartment window - she was bent double.

The only way the Railway administration can prevent such confusion in which children and women can get hurt is to reserve all seats. Mandatory reservation - advance and current - and at least six trains a day, with the first of the hourly service at 6 a.m., can prevent such chaos. Though the steam locomotive adds a romantic touch, diesel locos can slash the journey time to four hours. If the first train leaving Udhagamandalam were at 10.30 a.m., only six rakes and six locos would be enough for the daily services in summer.

The best that Ooty offered was the temperature - around 120C, when it was a grilling 40 plus in Chennai. Being wary does not help because the locals can identify tourists and cash in on their ignorance. And God help you if you do not know Tamil.

The much-touted lake is an eyesore because more than half of it is matted with hyacinth that has not been touched in years. The boats are rented on half-hour slabs, so time is lost between paying for it, getting a boat or the aqua cycle, and claiming the refund later.

Dodabetta Peak seems to be heading for an environmental disaster. Garbage bins are rare, so plastic bags and paper wrappers fly freely in spite of the ban imposed by the Collector Ms. Supriya Sahu, on traders offering disposable plastic bags. The urge to test one's aim is congenital, so crushed cups and paper balls form rings around the bins.

The double row of vendors from the parking area to the peak forms a bottleneck. Even at the peak, a restricted zone, vendors pester you. The Botanical Garden reels under the flow of human traffic. Though there are guards, it is impossible to manage all the garbage and most of it flies out of overloaded bins.

A drive along the ghat roads can be difficult. Many drivers, especially from the plains, seem to be unaware of the dangers of the sharp curves. They do not yield an inch for vehicles driving next to sharp drops. During a short spell of heavy rain, I saw a tourist bus tilt towards a steep, 50-metre gorge while trying to inch past vehicles. The driver somehow moved the packed bus inch by inch away from disaster.

The Nilgiris has its charms, no doubt, but the commercial units in areas where you expect pristine Nature, could dampen your spirits. Evening walks are a pleasure if you avoid the shopping zones near the Race Course.

The residential colonies on the hillside, wearing garlands of glittering street lamps late at night emit a mellow glow like tiny candles on a birthday cake, that soothes the mind and warms the heart despite a chilling 100C.

From Udhagamandalam to Mysore is just three hours by the Kalahatty route where 36 hairpin bends take your breath away, as much out of fear of a mishap as the beauty of the hills and farms on the way. Mamools are collected religiously by forest officials at each checkpost. You pay because it is a part of the fare.

As a typical tourist, you are hustled through places where you would love to spend more time. The walk along the dam to the Brindavan Gardens, Mysore is enervating if you do it briskly. The musical fountain is more a hype, because the fountains do not dance to the pitch of the music. But the place is charming - if you have the time to spare.

The Maharaja's palace with its ornate decorations, murals, cut- glass chandeliers and silver thrones is impressive, but it also shows how wasteful the monarchy was.

There were pleasant surprises however, during the vacation. R. K. Associates, New Delhi, the caterers on Shatabdi Express, offered exemplary service. The personal attention of Soronjit Debnath, a young catering assistant, to every passenger, had a touch of class.

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