Friday, September 4, 2009

Victoria Terminus (Part 2)

Moving away from Bandra, you come to the khadi, which stinks like hell. It has been the same for almost 10 years that I have been there. As soon as you cross this khadi, you enter an over bridge road, which is like a tunnel.

Then comes the most famous place on Mumbai, from where slumdog millionaire was made, part of Dharavi comes on the left. Next stop “Mahim”, I really don’t know anything about this place. Next stop “Kings circle”, I don’t know why this name has not been changed yet. There is a big circle which has a park. It is flanked on one side by Matunga, a small south India I should say. The South Indian Education Society High School is situated very near to the station. Next stop “Wadala Road”.

It is actually a very busy station. The people, who want to go to Navi-Mumbai, have to catch a train from here. It is kind of a junction. The guy who was sitting in front of me was checking overseas jobs column on his paper. He tired calling some numbers but could not find a suitable answer from any, he kept trying. The rain picked up again. It is amazing what a small drizzle can do. It wets all the railway signals and electric trusses. People here and there were running for cover.

Next stop “Sewri”. Before the station came along, I could see big oil tankers and storage vessels so huge. The IndianOil vessel was one of them. The “Sewri” station was flanked little higher than the usually stations. On the left of the station towards CST, was a road where all the tanker lorries were running hammock. As the train left “Sewri” station, I saw something interesting, there were small tankers which were pulled by oxen. Suddenly the town scape turned into village scenery. I saw more than 50 oxen and the tankers just parked there for filling kerosene I guess.

Just outside Sewri, you can see those oil tankers. "IndiaOil"


Next stop “Cotton Green”, before we reached the station on the left is “Cotton Association of India”. It is full of mills and hence with cotton association, the name. The buildings before and after the station are more or less look like warehouses. Some of them look dilapidated, but some of them are still alive and kicking. Moving away from cotton to Iron, next stop “Reay road”. Know for its iron garages all around the station. I saw a naked kid playing with another kid who was fully dressed. Irony of India I should say!! :P

Dockyard Road as the name suggests it’s the place of docks. Next stop is “Sandhurst Road”, it is quiet an unique station as it is at a raised platform from the other stations. Iron pillars beneath hold the station up. It was completed in 1921 quiet a feat then. Reay road and Sandhurst road, are named after British governors many years ago. Next stop is Masjid. It is a very busy station and, there was a bridge demolition going on just the day before. It had been finished on time and the trains were allowed through in record time. Masjid like popular belief is not named after mosque but a synagogue. 200 year old Gate of Mercy Synagogue is present here. As there are wholesale markets here, the volume of people going here are really alarming. At a peak hour you stand there and you will be completely swept away.

Last stop VT, or now CST(Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus). A one hour journey on the train never felt like it; when you are watching. I got a bag for my camera. I was home after 3 hours I commenced my journey. Mumbai Railways is truly faster than you think it is.

This is VT station, undergoing renovation!!

That is Queen Victoria at the top of the tower holding a torch!!

2 comments:

Pooja Mahimkar said...

woaaaahh... amazing journey i should say :D

good one.

Lan said...

@pooja: Thanks thanks!! :)

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