(Correction of this writing done by using Google Gemini AI)
Samskrita Bharati organises a yearly meetup for their selected, responsible volunteers in various places across India. This year, the meetup was organised at Vidyavathi International School in Malakaval, a small village situated on the Himachal Pradesh-Punjab border, about 1.5 hours away from Pathankot. I was invited three months in advance, but I was initially not interested in going. My friends booked their tickets, but I didn't. However, our senior volunteer Satyanarayan forced me to attend the meetup by insisting again and again. Hence, I finally decided to attend. But the trains towards Pathankot via Delhi were completely full. I have my online classes on Tuesdays, thursdays and Saturdays. I wanted a silent location to ensure my teaching was done properly. My classes were scheduled from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM. The meetup was on Saturday, October 31st, and Sunday, November 1st. I was thinking about how I could participate in the meetup without my classes getting interrupted. That is why I started exploring the IRCTC website to book a suitable ticket.
Amritsar city is at a distance of three hours from Pathankot, so I thought I could visit there as well. Finally, keeping all these elements in mind, a plan revealed itself. Departing for Mumbai on Tuesday night, I would reach Mumbai by Wednesday night. If I start travelling after my Thursday class, I can conduct Saturday's class after reaching the meetup place. Coming back was also important. If I stayed one extra day to visit nearby places, I could leave on Monday, November 2nd. So, I searched for a train from Delhi to Bengaluru for November 3rd and got a confirmed ticket on the YPR Sampark Kranti Express. It departs from Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi at 8:20 AM. Again, there was a problem with my class because that was a Thuesday. I thought of a plan while teaching a play by Bhasa. For that particular day, I scheduled a student presentation on the dialogue reading of that play. Since no active teaching was required, I could simply listen to it while waiting at the railway station. However, the return journey from Delhi was booked for November 3rd at 8:20 AM, expected to reach Bengaluru on November 5th at 4:15 AM, so I could conduct the Thursday morning class from the home.
Now, for the onward journey, the train departing from Mumbai to Amritsar was showing RAC 25. The confirmation chance was 99% for that train, which departs from Mumbai on Thursday at 11:30 AM. I booked that ticket and thought I would go from Amritsar to Pathankot by bus.
I also booked a train from Amritsar to New Delhi which reaches Delhi at 4:00 AM, so I could attend the class and then board the onward train after my class. Then I thought, if I reach Pathankot with my friends, it would be much easier to travel together because the meetup was in an interior place. So, I asked my friend Manoj about his tickets.
Oh boy, his train was to Pathankot Cantt from Delhi. I searched for trains to Pathankot Junction from Delhi on IRCTC. Usually, the website shows all nearby stations; for example, if you search for Yesvantpur, it shows SBC station, Chikka Banavara, SMVT Bengaluru etc. But in the case of Jalandhar and Pathankot, it is not so. The Pathankot Cantt trains weren't shown by the IRCTC website, hence I was fooled by it. Then I thought there might be a direct train from Mumbai to Pathankot Cantt. I searched for that, and my guess was true. There was a train from Mumbai (SVDK Katra Express) to Pathankot, which touches Pathankot Cantt. This train departs on Thursday morning at 11:00 AM and reaches on Friday at 01:00 PM. I was surprised because my previously booked train to Amritsar would only reach Amritsar at 8:00 PM.
The train to Pathankot showed WL 40, but the confirmation probability was 99%, so I booked that train also. Another point I realised from this train route was that it is only a 3-hour journey to the Vaishno Devi temple from Pathankot. A small desire to visit Vaishno Devi awoke in my mind. So, I booked another ticket for Vaishno Devi from Pathankot to Jammu Tawi station on November 1st at 9:30 PM. From there, I would have to take a 1.5-hour bus journey to reach Katra at 11:30 PM. I also booked a return ticket from Udhampur to Safdarjung in Delhi, which departs at 4:00 PM from Udhampur and reaches Delhi at 4:10 AM.
I like train journeys because I get some space alone. You can think that there will be thousands of people, and it's true, but you can still enjoy your own personal space in the train flow. You can't do any serious things during a train journey, but I can read some simple books or do this type of writing without the world of other people mattering. I took a book titled "Yatra" which was written in the Sanketi language and translated into Sanskrit, to read on the way. I took limited luggage in two bags. A small bag was always with me, containing my charger, purse, money, mobile, and other valuable things. I kept the other one under the seat. Usually, I book an upper berth where I get some more personal space.
Taking some chapatis and 2.5 litres of water, I started my journey on Tuesday night, October 27th, 2026, towards Mumbai. I slept peacefully that night, and the next day I wrote something and read the Yatra book. At that time, another plan arose in my mind.
If I go to Amritsar on Friday, I can visit Vaishno Devi after the meetup. So, I started to explore the IRCTC website and found a train to Amritsar from Delhi. I thought I would get down at Phagwara junction, take a bath there, catch another train, and reach Amritsar at 2:15 AM. Coming back from Amritsar to Jalandhar, I could take another train and catch the one in which my friends were travelling from Jalandhar in the morning. I booked the tickets. Two tickets were confirmed, but the ticket from Jalandhar to Pathankot was not confirmed. The confirmation probability was 33%, but it was not a problem at all. I could take a general ticket from the counter and travel with my friend, adjusting in their seat for 1.5 hours.
I had carried the university brochures, which had covers thicker than plastic plates. I didn't want to use university materials like that, but I ate my chapatis with ghee and chatnipudi on the pamphlet anyway. I bought some groundnuts, guava, and cucumber, enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Pune-Mumbai railway track, and reached Kalyan Junction at 7:00 PM on Wednesday.
Our Mumbai volunteer, Shyamala Bhat, told me to stay at Anant Bhat's house in Ghatkopar. Following Anant Bhat's instructions, I took a ticket for the local train. When I entered the platform, there was a slow local, but then a fast local arrived. Many people from the slow local got down and climbed into the fast local. Remembering Anant Bhat's instructions, I boarded the fast local as well. By my good fortune, I got a seat at the next station, Dombivli. I checked my mobile and saw the chart for the next day's train was prepared. Both tickets were RAC, meaning I would have to share and travel with another passenger on a side lower berth. Going to the meetup was very important, and I had no return ticket from Mumbai. That is why I decided to go by the direct train which goes to Pathankot.
I cancelled the mumbai - Amritsar ticket. It's a good initiative of the railways that if we cancel an RAC ticket after chart preaparing, they refund our amount, deducting only ₹72. I got the refund. Anant Bhat was a retired civil engineer from L&T; his native place is Sirsi, and he lives in Ghatkopar with his wife and daughter. We reached his house by walking for 20 minutes. I took a bath and had dinner, which consisted of rice, sambar, and curd. The next day, I conducted my class from 6:30 to 8:00 AM. I ate dosa and carried chapatis with some dry okra curry given by his wife. His daughter, a BSc Biotech student, asked some serious questions about Samskrit.
From Anant Bhat's house, I took a bus to Bandra Terminus railway station. The bus was not crowded, and I reached the bus stand after 45 minutes. By walking another 15 minutes, I reached the railway station. A jammu guy was there with me on the seat. By good fate, I got a side upper berth till Surat. The train was relatively empty, so I sat there and did my reading and writing.
From Surat, the train packed up with passengers. I sat with the Jammu guy in the side lower berth for some time. Two Mumbai volunteers, Vikrant Joshi and Ashish, arrived at the next seat by exchanging places with other passengers. They had Confirm tickets. They gave the space to me till 11:00 PM, after that the Jammu guy adjusted in one side of the seat until 5:00 AM. From Delhi, the train was empty, and I got a full berth to sleep. The train arrived at Phagwara junction 30 minutes late at 11:45 AM. I got down there; it was an empty station. I took a bath in the waiting room's bathroom. I think it was built only for me; it was very clean, and there were no signs of anyone having taken a bath there. The guard happily gave me permission to take a bath. After getting ready, I boarded the next train, which was an intercity express.
Some Sikh people were serving chapatis and chole on the train. I ate that langar. They were going to a Gurudwara near Beas. After Beas, the train was empty, so I rearranged my luggage. I took only my purse and mobile, and after getting down at Amritsar, I kept both my bags in the cloakroom and got ready to go to the Attari-Wagah Border. Auto drivers swarmed around, asking for ₹700-₹800, but I finally got a shared auto for ₹200. The auto driver was talkative. He told me that a bus would go to the Swarn Mandir (Golden Temple) directly after the border parade. He showed me many buses where the photo of the Punjab CM was stuck. But it was false; they were one-day tour buses which had to be booked earlier.
I arrived at the border at 4:00 PM and sat in the galleries. I was just 100 metres away from the Pakistan border, separated by a thick gate. Before the parade, BSF soldiers invited women to dance to patriotic songs. Around 4,000 Indians and 2,000 Pakistanis were the spectators. Both armies were making announcements through mikes. It sounded just like Jodata Yakshagana. It was the first non-Hindu religious gathering I had watched where indian Muslims were not present. After finishing the parade, I went back to the Golden Temple in Amritsar by bus. Reaching the Golden Temple at 7:30 PM, I glanced at the shrine. It was shining brightly and beautifully situated in the middle of the Amritsar lake. Many pilgrims were taking a bath in the lake. I rushed to have the langar, eating chapatis and Jeera rice. After that, I entered the crowd to get into the temple, requesting people to let me pass as my train was at 9:30 PM. I managed to get the Darshana of the temple by 8:45 PM. Then I visited Jallianwala Bagh, but it was closed.
Taking an auto, I came back to the railway station, collected my bags, and boarded the train. I reached Jalandhar Cantt by 11:15 PM. At Jalandhar Cantt station, there were chairs covered with cushions, so I took a quick nap there. I boarded my next train to Pathankot Cantt from there at 2:15 AM. To my surprise, my ticket was confirmed. I got down at Pathankot at 3:30 AM and joined my friends. Taking the bus arranged by the meetup organisers, I reached the meetup place at 5:30 AM. There was extreme cold. Covered by a shawl and a monkey cap, I found a peepal tree, sat there, and conducted my morning class. The meetup lasted for two days.
As per the instructions of my B.Ed classmate, who is a lecturer at the Vaishno Devi Pathashala, I planned to visit Vaishno Devi. He told me that reaching Katra earlier is always better, so I travelled by bus, taking one from Nurpur to Pathankot, and then from Pathankot to Katra. Since outside mobiles don't work there due to security reasons, a kind Jammu man gave me his mobile to cancel my ticket from Amritsar to Delhi. I reached Katra at 8:45 PM and got the yatra pass for Vaishno Devi.
I searched for a cloakroom to keep my big bag. By good fate, the meetup organisers had gifted us a small bag. It was perfect to carry my belongings on the hill; my shirt, towel, purse, and mobile fit perfectly in it. The information centre guy didn't guide me properly, so I found a cloakroom myself by asking random people. My yatra started at 9:00 PM.
I visited Vaishno Devi 13 years ago. I have some blurred memories about that trip, but I identified many changes this time. There are good and strong horses now, and no donkeys. The route is wide and clean, and there is no unnecessary beating of the horses happening. They are cleaning the horse dung regularly. Free langar points are available at the starting point, the middle, and the top of the hill. I went by walking. At the starting point, I ate some langar, specifically chana and ksheera. Eating less is better while climbing, hence I didn't eat anything after that. I reached Adhkuwari by 11:00 PM, which is the middle point of the trek. The Devi is situated there in her womb form. There was a long queue, so I skipped the Darshanam, thinking I would take it while coming back. There are steps in some places, so we can choose between the main track or the steps. The steps are a shortcut, but you get tired early if you use them. I chose the main track instead of the shortcut steps to avoid fatigue, though the steps are better to beat the disturbance of the horses.
I realised that the track is better than the steps only after climbing 1,000 stairs. After Adhkuwari, I preferred the track only. I reached the top at 1:30 AM. The blanket-giving boy was taking a safety deposit, and we had to return the blanket after 5:00 AM. I wanted to take Darshan before 5:00 AM, so I didn't take the blanket. I tried to sleep covering myself with my own blanket, but the cold was extreme. My legs and hands were freezing. At 4:00 AM, I went to take a bath. There are open bathrooms where half-inch chill water falls regularly from the mountains. It was extremely cold, but I took a bath and kept my belongings in the digital locker and went for Darshan. Seeing me wearing a traditional veshti, the priest gave me some dry fruits directly from the feet of Vaishno Devi. I was blessed to have the Darshan of Goddess Vaishno Devi. I came back to the lockers, used the Wi-Fi there, and sent messages to my family. The Bhairo Baba Mandir is located 2 km further up from there. I visited that as well and drank some tea at the langar. My feet were hurting a lot. I can see the helicopters heading to Vaishno Devi landing from above.
I started coming down slowly. I reached Adhkuwari on the way down and had langar. Later, I came to know that I should have taken a pass for the Adhkuwari Darshan before going up to Vaishno Devi. They give specific timings, and we should take Darshan at that designated time. Since I had no such allotted time, I had to skip the Adhkuwari Darshan entirely. Coming down slowly and taking rest several times, I reached Katra at 2:00 PM. I had langar at the starting point. My return train was originally from Udhampur, but I thought it would be easier to board from Jammu Tawi. I asked somebody about it, but the local Jammu people, much like in Karnataka, are sometimes unaware of the railway routes. So, I just decided to go to Jammu Tawi station anyway. I got a bus directly from Katra and reached Jammu Tawi station by 4:00 PM. My train was at 5:00 PM. I boarded the train, charged my mobile, bought some apples, and slept for three hours. Later, I slept again from 9:30 PM to 3:30 AM without knowing a thing, and finally got down at Safdarjung station at 4:15 AM.
Walking for two kilometres, I reached Bhikaji Cama Place metro station at 5:30 AM. It was open, but the escalators weren't operating yet. While climbing the steps, I suffered a lot because my legs were still paining, so I took a small session of massaging them. I reached the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway metro station by 6:15 AM. I heard the dialogue presentation of my students from there, and then boarded my 8:00 AM train, travelling once again.
My trip was not perfectly planned, but it wasn't completely unplanned either. I really enjoyed it. I used everything I carried, except for my umbrella. I didn't eat much junk food, and I didn't buy new water bottles; instead, I drank only mineral water by refilling my bottles, paying just ₹5 per litre. My legs are still paining, but I got firm, restful sleep in the trains. Somebody told me they got body pain from the train journey, but I am expecting my leg pain to be cured through this long train journey.
Soorya Hebbar
3.11.2026
Nagpur junction railway station
