best train journies and India's most rejuvanting train journey one could ever have in their entire life
Let me tell you one story, a story of acquisition of knowledge from the stranger, even a knowledge of one jaw-droping story of such avant-grade incident that ever has taken place in the Indian history after independence!(Guess what)
We immature kids were all set to go Goa, as usual every Indian youngster has a dream to go Goa with their group in their adulthood, so had we. It was the late night of August when we started our journey from the Baroda junction. We were supposed to depart at Madgaon of South Goa( Thank you to the conspiracy of time as all tickets Thivim from our starting point were reserved in train, and we had to choose Madgaon as our departing station). We didn't know that this different choice with helpless hands was going to be the biggest moment of our life.
When I woke up in the morning, found one aged uncle musing at the window of moving train, exactly in front of me . The surroundings had owned all colours of coolness at that time as clouds must have decided to hide the world in an appeasing manner. As nature spreaded natural smile on my face, he too smiled and wished me a morning. I just went outside to have the scenery, which was undoubtedly breath-taking. I asked to one tea-seller about exact location, who just got in from one station. He told me that we had just crossed the Panvel. Entering into dense jungle area by moving trai was the strange feeling we had never seen before. After witnessing that wordless nature, I came back to my birth with hot tea.
Where are you from, son?" he asked surprisingly, once he found me in front of him.
"I am from Gujarat, basically from North Gujarat, but living in Bhavnagar city."
"Oh. So you guys must be going on tour. Gokarna?"
"No. Actually we didn't get tickets of Thivim from Ahmedabad or Baroda, so we are here in this train. We are going to actually Goa, but had only this option to get in Goa."
I felt strange as he smiled for a minute post my reply.
"Don't you know that you should thank God for this."
"Why so?"
"We are in Konkan region. You must know about this it, perhaps"
"Yes, I have heard the name, but don't know much about it."
"Then you should also know about that we are travelling through one of the world's best train journies and India's most rejuvanting train journey one could ever have in their entire life."
"Ohh..Actually, I am not aware of this fact."
"That's why I am telling you about it. You are lucky that you are travelling through this route."
"Why it is so special?"
"The history is amazing. This project of Konkan railway was one of the most dangerous and most expensive with biggest infrastructure of Indian history. Long ago, people were unable to go direct to other coastal regions of South India like Magnalore and all from our states Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharasthra without covering less distance as we had to go there through middle portion of states, while travelling double distance. The idea of constructing Konkan Railway was itself one type of risk, as there could be no task tougher than this. Everyone knows that this westen coastal region is the most undpredictable one, where every one kilometer comes up with new weather and sculpture.