Vellore Diary 7, Tension

We didn't know when is our check up complete. Every day we need to test various types of test like: blood, urin, ECG, ECHO, X-ray, scan and the list go on for diagnosis. After completion of test we have to see Doctors for consultation. Some time we have to see senior consultant, who will brief Junior doctor in detail. That teaching method is good for intern doctors and junior doctors. But for us, it is time taking. Some time the senior, suggest further more test. That again we have to bear the cost for our test and their research and investigation.

That too we tolerate. But still, we are not sure when we are going back to our home country. If you are office bearer you have to extend the leave. If you are a businessman you have to sacrifice your business. This is how we feel in #CMCVellore.

A big TENSION.

We need to take chance ticket if we are travelling in train. Only Tatkal seats available. That is last minute chance tickets. In this system you won't know whether you get the ticket or not. More Tension when you are looking at the computer reservation system. Our heart sounds like any thing.

This time, we take this chance. The first day, we missed the time. 11am-12 pm. The next day we were ready for AC Tickets, within 58 seconds we missed all the tickets. Again we tried for tatkal non ac, luckily, a group of four tickets confirmed. Another we waited and tried to premium tatkal. This time we confirmed another four tickets. This is the first time that my luck favoured me for group of 8 Pax. Got relelief from great tension.

Feeling happy. I thank the travel agent M.A. Tours and Travel, Vellore and Mr. Mohammed Akram bro for his tricks and suggestion.

Vellore Diary 6, Street shop

Today, I had no good experience. One shopkeeper outrightly rejected while asking the status of mango, whether it was ripen or not. That might be my mistake that I spoke in HINDI " Eh paka hua hai ki nahin?" instead of English or Tamil: which I don't know. Konchi konchi Tamil teriella. Tamil teri ma. The shopkeeper was angry and said PO DA.. I don't know why he was so upset.

I went to another shop with my dad. She humbly gave my dad a piece of mango to taste. It was good enough. Then we bought a kilo of Mango with IC 30/-. Happyli returned to our place. We praised the shopkeeper that she was humble and we have brought the mangoes to eat. After opening a packet, we found fifity percent rotten mangoes and only fifty percent we could eat. This is shame on the shopkeeper that we praised without knowing her vested interest.

The Vellore residence are though good there are some shopkeepers they spoil the image of local residence. Too bad experience. Sorry for these street shops. Becareful while buying in the street. They don't care buyers, as they are from different world. Street sellers have no manners and humanity I experience in Vellore city of health education. Sorry!

Vellore Diary 5, Food

After long time I am having idli for a breakfast made of white flour and pulse, idli is very popular rice dish in South India. It is served with samber and chutney. Light, if you take in ample number of idli. And if you want a stomach full, you can take more as per your requirement.

Another interesting meal is South Indian Thali. This meal has 21 varieties we had in a restaurant. The waiter claimed that his restaurant is the best in town. I will name once I confirmed. I have to test the taste of other restaurants too in town. But the taste is best really, I loved it. This contains varieties of rice, samber, vegetables, chutney, achar, rasam, curd, papad, roti and item goes on. Rice is circled by all vegetable items. Nice. I am still having the mouth watering taste. Hmmm.

Have a nice meal.

Vellore Diary 4, Pilgrimage Tour

Today is Sunday, no appointment, no check up. We are free for a day. We don't know what to do in Vellore, if you are free for a day.

So, we started googling. Found one interesting place, that was Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. Instead of going to travel agent, we started counselling with local people. Here, in Vellore, local people are very active and conscious. They suggest us to take a local auto which can carry 4-5 persons at a time. These autos have no meter. They have their rates to visit the places of interest. We are charged IC 1150/- per auto to visit Ratnagiri Balamurigan Temple, Sri Sai Mandir (9 Sai Temple) and Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. We don't know whether these prices are reasonable or not. But it was worth visiting the places we had visited. Nearly 100 km in a day tour.

Now, I am talking about Mahalaxmi Golden Temple. Wow ! It was my luck I must say that I never trust in my luck though. Going inside the temple is free. But if you pay 100/- IC, you can avoid long line. It is really a discrimination in temple. Richer can avoid the line by paying some box of money. Similarly, the temple has another discrimination route for IC 250/- which goes directly to main temple without any disturbance. If you are offering with big amount, you will get VIP TREATMENT. I don't know, whether goddess Mahalaxmi knows about these discrimination in her temple or not. As the name itself describe Mahalaxmi: goddess of assets, it may be okay for her.

Good thing I found is a queue for ordinary people who do not pay. They have to pass through jail like corridor. It seems one kilometre long corridor. All the ordinary devotees are kept in a jail like room. They count upto 200 people and locked. They kept us there for half an hour with a facility of drinking water, toilet and a small restaurant too. A business tactic to sell tea, coffee and tit bits. A policeman came in other door to unlock the out going door. I thought I am a lucky guy that I am in a jail of goddess Mahalaxmi. She will definitely bless me with lot of money while going back to my country.

After walking through a long corridor, some time I thought that I am inside zoo. All the corridor walls are made of iron wire. Ladies and gents cannot walk in the same walk ways. Again discrimination in gender but interesting while walking. After few meter of walking they allowed us to walk in our group without discrimination. After having one kilometre walking then only we came to the entrance of the temple.

Then we found wonderful walk ways with the fountains, the well managed garden, well maintained drinking water facility, rest places, breast feeding area, toilet and hexagon path way.

After more than an hour, we were able to have a DARSAN of Mahalaxmi: Goddess of rich. The temple is made of 15000 kilogram of pure gold. Wow! I was stunned seeing marvellous temple, statue, pillars, ceiling and so much of gold at a time in my life time. I had heard of Golden Temples in the world but never had an opportunity to feel and see with my naked eye.

Really worth visiting. The silver lifesize Nandi is also beautiful. At the end of visit, the temple management offer free meals. We enjoyed.

BLESSING FROM GODDES MAHALAXMI
Golden Temple, Vellore.

Vellore Diary 3, CMC Hospital

Registration in CMC Hospital is very complicated if you don't understand in advance. Actually, there are very simple rules. But outsiders talk without knowledge and new patients follow unknowingly making it complicated that is what I found in CMC Hospital during my registration.

If you are Indian, no problem, go to registration desk fill the form and get registered with any one government valid identification. If you are foreigner, you have to go to IRO (international record office) 900B room outside the hospital building with your passport detail. You should have one photocopy of your identification card for Nepali and passport for other foreigners. Just follow the staff suggestion. If you have confusion consult with the staff, not with patients who are outsider and tell a story what they have in their mind, that will definitely mislead you and you will be lost.

Have patience, follow rules, appointment date, time schedule, be ontime. They are very particular in time like Japanese and Westerner do. Listen carefully with Medical Record Officer (MRO). Read your appointment slip carefully. Everything will bebin written form.

Saturday, CMC Vellore open for half day. Sunday, closed. No appointment, no treatement.

Take care.

Vellore Diary 2, Train

Early in the morning, the tea sellers say, Chaya, Chaya, Chaya. Coppee Coppee Coppee (COFFEE) in fast tone. In the afternoon, these sellers will change their tone into Cha..ya! Cha..ya! Cha..ya! And the same guy in the evening. Cha aa..ye! Cha aa..ye! Cha aa..ye! Similarly in the night it become like Cha...aa.aa..ye! Cha...aa.aa..ye! Cha...aa.aa..ye! Same with Co.....pp....ee...! Co.....pp....ee...! Co.....pp....ee...!

These situations I love to hear while travelling India, that too in #TRAIN. The most delayed train named as RAPTISAGAR SUPER EXPRESS. Always delayed by more than 20 hrs in recent days. The name never fits as per its schedule. :(

Happy journey!!!

Vellore Diary 1, Shopkeeper

Here I am in Vellore, people are friendly. But some time you don't understand whether they are talking or fighting. The high pitch vocabulary is very difficult to ubderstand in Tamil. The stress they give in english and in hindi sounds interesting. We too Nepali have Nepali style tone in British english.

The shopkeepers are very particular in price. They don't accept any bargaining. But people from east and west Bengal are more on bargaining. Any thing they want to buy, they bargain. Even for a rupee they discuss more than a price they are going to pay for it.

It is interesting to visit market where South Indian are sellers and Bangladeshi and Bengoli are buyers. They all talk in their own languages and sometimes scold eachother. They feel fine. Because they don't understand what they are fighting for. Some will go with happy mood and some feel frustrated thinking that they have done not good.

This was the scene I was observing while on the road.

One Bengoli wanted to buy some bananas. He was asking the cost of banana.
Banana seller: INR 20/- for 4 pcs.
Buyer: What about dozen? Thinking that he will get some discount, as most of the Bengolis are keen to have discount even a rupee down.
Banana seller: Sewanty Rupee for a dozen.
Buyer: Can I get in 60/- Rupee?
Banana seller: No. I said Sewanty Rupee. That's all.
Buyer: How about 12 Pcs?
Banana seller: If you buy 12 pcs means 60/- rupee.
Bengali Buyer: Give me 12 pcs.
Seller: Give me 60/- rupee. Not less. Ok!
Bengali: Koisa koisa dokaanadaar hai? Ek dozen mangaa Sottar bola. Baarha bola Saath bolaa.
Thiki hai hame kya? Maine eko dozan saath me kharida. Kamsekam Das rupiya kam kar dala. Ha ha ha..
Seller: Enne soller Machaan.

After all this is win win situation.