An adventure in Bihar, Jharkhand & Chicken's Neck of India

This is perhaps my first full length road/train trip I have written on a to and fro visit to Eastern India. And  as of now, it is certainly my longest blog ever written. And in this course of journey I stayed in a train station, saw a new city, stayed in a luxury hotel, travelled in an overcrowded bus for a long distance interstate while struggling through uncertainty throughout the road trip.

I had my friend Tapan who accompanied me throughout this sojourn. I made a very good friend at our destination. The trip is almost 11 months old. I have been trying to write it down since then So finally it is here. Let me begin.

Rock Garden, Ranchi City

It was because of an event of LPG Conference held in February 2018. The organisers invited a faculty and two research scholars from our department to attend the program. I and Arunabh were to visit Ranchi along with our Subrata Madam. Since we were to travel through train, I and Arunabh hurried to the Dibrugarh Town station to book tickets. We both had not done e-ticketing before or had an IRCTC account at that time.

Everything was planned well, we purchased four tickets. Two for Ranchi via a halt at Kolkata and two for the return journey again via Kolkata. Our thrill had an abrupt pause when Arunabh, due to an unavoidable circumstance, had to cancel his trip. Sadly, we had to cancel all of our train tickets.

Now who was to replace Arunabh? Who will it be? After some decision and decision making, finally Tapan was roped in. And that is the way, Tapan and I made this journey to one of the city in India's east.

Tapan and I at the beginning of our journey at Dibrugarh Town train station

I purchased a novel, The Spy by Paulo Coelho to read in the train; packing a handbag and a backpack I reached Dibrugarh Town railway station at 7 pm on February 23. I met Tapan, had tea and boarded the Rajdhani Express.

Food is inclusive in Rajdhani, and booking ticket in Rajdhani was Tapan's idea. We savoured on the snacks and dinner in the train. The train was more than half empty until morning when we reached Guwahati. 

Tapan inside the train

We reached India's Chicken neck in West Bengal by middle of the day and entered the state of Bihar. Travelling through the countryside we wandered through the green fields and hills with halts in between at small towns and cities. I kept reading The Spy. Tapan took rest in the upper berth reading a book. In between we chatted and had lunch.

By evening we reached our first destination of Barauni town. Now there was a catch, our next train to Ranchi was the next day in the morning. We had to stay the night somewhere. We thought of booking a room in the retiring room. But we did not book them beforehand. So I guarded our luggage in the station while Tapan went to ticket centre to try renting one. After some 40-50 minutes, to relief, I saw a ticket in his hand. 

We went upstairs of the railway platform. We were ushered in to our room by a lady.  Entering the room, we saw it was big and had an old colonial feel in its look, like we were some fifty years back in the past. the chairs and tables were old fashioned. The room was newly painted in white. The cooler was fixed in the window with grills. There was even a big dressing room and  behind it the bathrooms.  

Inside the Retiring room in Barauni Train Station

We refreshed and charged our drawn-out smartphone batteries. Now we had another worry, what to eat and where? We went downstairs and went to a cafeteria inside. It was empty which roused our suspicion. We saw rats running and quickly came out. 

The other way was to eat outside. So off we went outside the station complex. Walking on a uneven road thronged with shops and restaurants, this time we got confused in choosing a restaurent. Previously we had none and now we had many!

Thinking a particular one to be best we entered and ordered naan and paneer masala. Surprisingly, naan here was only INR 5.00 per piece, so much cheaper than in Assam. We gorged more naans. Then we thought of having chicken plate. 

As soon as called the waiter to order a chicken, he told us we were sitting on the vegetarian side of the restaurant. A glass partition separated it from the Non-Veg section. This was a first for me. I had never seen this type of segregation before. So we had to cancel chicken and order a mix beg plate instead. Nevertheless we had a heart's fill of a dinner. 

We came back to our room. We had to get up early the next morning, so bade good night to each other. I woke up first to an alarm and took a bath. After me Tapan did the same while I arranged my luggage. Our train was to arrive at 07.10 am. We went downstairs to the platform and waited for the train to arrive. 

A long day's wait for the next train at Barauni Station

But we forgotten one thing, Trains are late for most of the times. To our horror, we waited and waited the whole day. We could not go back to our room because we were allowed only to stay for the night. By evening, strolling and loitering on the platform; to our major relief the train arrived around 5 pm.  As I had finished one novel, I purchased another one the previous nigh; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green to read for the rest of the journey. Incidently, I have yet to complete this novel. 

We jumped on the train, took our designated berths. This train had no pantry car, so we had to buy dinner. A vendor came shouting at us to ask if we wanted dinner. We ordered egg curry (two eggs) per plate each for about INR 120. The guy came with the dinner only when the train started departing. Hurriedly we paid the guy. 

As the food would get cold, we could not wait till 9 pm. We opened our food packages. and guess what, we got duped. Only one rice plate had egg curry while the other was simple veg!  There was a lady sitting opposite us us who had come from Raxaul, a town in Bihar bordering Nepal. She told this duping often happens. Another man who was snoring loudly woke up and told us the same. Thus we had to settle for one egg per head. 

A glimpse of agritcultural lands in Bihar through there train 

The lady had come to attend one of her sons wedding at Munger. It was night, still we were able to get a glimpse of the famous Munger Fort. She introduced us to her son, we exchanged greetings and congratulated him. These people were good and we felt delighted to know them. It removed a common misconception we have about this reason. Not all are bad. We had met good persons and it made a nice impression. I also have good friends from college from Bihar and Jharkhand. We simply cannot generalise each other based on a few people. Same goes about perception towards the people of Northeast India from where I belong.

By morning we reached Ranchi Junction. We carried our luggage outside the station. We bargained with autos and finally to my surprise we settled on a cycle rickshaw. Dressed in pyjamas, chappals, t-shirt and simple sweater, we hopped on the rickshaw.

Cycle Rickshaw pullers outside Ranchi Train Station

Now this part is great. We arrive in a high rise five star hotel's reception in a cycle rickshaw! Looking at our dresses, the security was confused and so was the reception. All were wearing suits and proper high society apparels, and there were these two people in the worn out chappals. I had never thought I would enter a five star hotel in such way. It was no less than a filmy entry. I felt like rags from riches in a time span of 24 hours.

Inside the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ranchi

Tapan swiped a card on the door to unlock it and we entered our five star hotel room. Directly form a shabby yet vintage fifty year room in a railway station to a modern high tech five star hotel room of Radisson Blu. The mattress was at-least two feet thick and super soft with awesome cushioning. The pillows were so big and that two two per bed. The bathroom was plush had a wooden sliding door and glass panels. There was even a lots of cookies, chips, cold drinks, and nuts too. Everything from travelling, food and hotel room was paid for by the organisers. We were enjoying the freebies. 

Inside the hotel room

We had a sumptuous breakfast with Subrata ma'am in an open restaurant. We registered our names at the registration desk. They gave us a nice shoulder bag filled with a power bank, booklet and a good looking pen. So of we went to the conference hall which was filled with many guest and dignitaries. 

Tapan and I took our seats. We waited for ma'am to arrive. After some moments, we saw her and a girl dressed in professional pant and dress shirt walking behind. I thought she was a member of the organisers taking ma'am to her seat. We waved at them and they came near us. Then only, when ma'am introduced us to her, I realised she too was like the two of us, a research scholar from IIT Kharagpur who was here to attend on behalf of her guide. We sat through the session. I asked her name and place of residence. he called herself as Jayshree Patnaik from Bhadrak, Odisha. We clicked some group photos.

Subrata Ma'am, Jayshree, I and Tapan inside the Conference room of the hotel

Soon lunch was served, we ate eagerly; otherwise where do you get to eat aplenty so often in such a grand event. At one time I and Tapan went to the bus depot to enquire about bus routes to Barauni as we had reservation from there back to Dibrugarh. There was no direct trains or bus to Barauni. We had to choose either Patna, Darbhanga or Siliguri. This got us in a fix.

As dusk began illuminating the sky, Tapan, Jayshree and I planned on embarking on a mini trip in Ola to see some tourist spots in Ranchi. I quickly went to our room and changed into my jeans. As we were in formal attires, Jayshree asked what to do. I suggested to wear jeans pant while the dress shirt - although being formal - looked fine with a pair of jeans.

Jayshree, Tapan and I in the open air Restaurent

So all of us now in jeans, in semi formals; came outside the hotel. We opened Goggle Maps and decided to visit Rock Garden. On the way, the cab driver showed us the direction to cricketer M.S. Dhoni's home in Ranchi City. He is a legend in India, especially in Jharkhand and Bihar. Upon reaching we climbed few steps and we ordered chat masala mix for snacks.

Bhel Puri vendor in Rock garden

Satisfying out taste buds, we went further uphill and explored the place. It was beautiful having different designs and animals made of rocks. At the top there was a curved viewpoint of the Kanke Dam lake which is a huge reservoir of water. As the evening golden hours of the day approached, the the boundaries of the lake was beautifully illuminated in street lights. It was a total picturesque sight to behold.

Animal sculpture made of rocks

At the top viewpoint with Kanke Dam lake in the background 

In the meantime, I had messaged my buddy Banasmita who was in Ranchi University but was unable to meet as she was back in Assam at that time. The three of us descended downhill towards the entrance of the park. Then we had coffee and walked a bit more and reached Circular Road and entered a mall named Nucleus mall. Being a bookworm I searched for a bookshop and bumped upon one of my favourite bookstore, Crosswords. I browsed through novels and at last bought The Red Haired Woman by Orhan Pamuk. And yes, I have completely read this amazing novel. We again met at the ground floor and went back to to the hotel.

Outside Nucleus Mall in Ranchi

A cultural night was held in the hotel. We met ma'am and enjoyed the musical numbers, instrumentals and stand up comedy. We were served snacks. We went back to our rooms, freshened up and came back for another awesome dinner.

The second day started with breakfast which was followed by attending the conference. The day passed and lunch came.

Lunch on day 2

Stomach full, we went to the hotel pool. It was windy and the sun was shining brightly. We could get a glimpse of the Ranchi city from here. We relaxed on the recliner chairs by the pool, took some more photos; in turns, one clicking while rest three stood. So there were many many photos.

The pool of the hotel

By evening, we all four went to explore the city. After some time, ma'am went back to the hotel while we stayed back a little longer. We walked and took peek inside two malls. The roads we roamed were packed with traffic. Ranchi seemed to be developing into a fine city. We came back to the hotel. Jayshree had train at night. We had our last supper in the open restaurant.

The Last Supper

Jayshree bade good bye to ma'am. A car arrived to pick her and we two also hopped in to accompany her to the station. Her train arrived, we helped her luggage to her berth and made final goodbyes to her. I made a great friend in a short time and we are still in touch. In life, we seldom do that to new people, but very few, a bunch of people actually remains, with whom we keep in contact and Jayshree is one of them. Both of us returned to the hotel.

The goodbye photo at Ranchi Station

The third day dawned, we bade ma'am goodbye after breakfast. Now came the real trouble, how to reach Barauni and catch the train? the Train was to depart from Barauni at 8..55 am on 1st March. We had to reach there before that. At first, we went to the train station to ask if it was okay to board from a latter place when we had reservation from Barauni. The counter lady assured us.

Next we went to one of the smaller bus depot. there was no bus scheduled for Barauni. A person took us to a travel agency. It was the same situation there, no direct tickets. If we took a Patna ticket, it was uncertain if we would make to Barauni by 8.55 am.  Then a guy helped us. He took us, tripling in a motorcycle on the road leading to the main bus station. He got us in a an auto-rickshaw. We reached the station and kept running here and there for a bus.

Bus Terminus at Ranchi

After a gruelling task, we settled or tickets on a sleeper bus to Siliguri. Relieved that something came up, we came back to the hotel. We packed our bags, again in our sweater and pyjamas; checked out of the hotel and reached the bus depot. The ticket person had warned us to reach early, even when we had booked seats in the bus. It was very possible that our seats would be occupied by somebody else and we would be able to do nothing about it. This was the way here.

Hence we hurried and quickly occupied our seats. It was very hot and suffocating inside but we had no choice. in another hour, the bus conductor ushered in extra persons. He started urging these extra passengers to get more and more inside even when there was no space left in the bus. People kept on getting inside the bus. cramping on each other. We were again back from rich to rags. So a complete cycle of rags-to-riches-to-rags-again situation!

Inside the bus bound to Siliguri

They sat down wherever they could; some sat on the floor while some on armrest of chairs. It was a total chaos, I could not even keep my arm on the armrest. It got occupied. The bus conductor hopped from one ladder to another - like we have to climb berths in a train - to collect money from the passengers.

Tapan sitting of the window side was quite safe, but I had to bear most of the burnt of this hullabaloo. Somehow with lack of sleep we reached Siliguri in the Chicken Neck of India, in the morning. Chicken's neck is a narrow corridor of roughly 22 kilometres - with international borders on either side - connecting it to Northeast India. We got out and people started thronging us asking where we were headed. There were even buses to Guwahati city, my hometown.

Siliguri Town located in the Chicken's Neck of India

A cab person accompanied us to a restaurant. He told us after breakfast he would take us to New-Jalpaiguri (NJP) station.  He charge us an exorbitant amount and when we bargained he told he was thinking we were bound for Jalpaiguri and not New-Jalpaiguri. Finally after breakfast in the Nepali restaurant, we took a battery operated rickshaw to NJP station. It took us some 20 minutes to reach there.

We had to cross a long aerobridge to reach our platform. There was no retiring room available. We entered our names in the A/C waiting room. The station was looking new, the bathrooms newley built there was even Railwire free WiFi facility provided by Google.

Inside the waiting room in NJP station

We waited the whole day and at last the Barauni train arrived. We went to our berths and asked the passengers to vacate them. They went to their own berths. And so now we were completely certain that there was almost no way that could prevent us in reaching Assam.

Finally in the morning we reached Kamakhya station, five minutes from Guwahati station. Alas, we had to wait another 1 hour there before reaching Guwahati. I bade Tapan Goodbye. He was bound for Tinsukia. He had one last hurdle left of getting to Dibrugarh from Tinsukia. It was good that these these two were only 1 hour apart. So some arrangement would always be available. Tapan finally made it to Dibrugarh by evening. I took a cab from Guwahati station and went for home.

So our adventure ended. It was a herculean task of getting back to home. It is not easy to get a confirmed train ticket at the last moment. For a long journey we have to book tickets at-least two months in advance. The influx of passengers is so high. Also it is difficult to get a bus for the same. However we made it somehow. We call such quick arrangements as Jugaad in India. And at the same time  we also are improving our craftsmanship in all spheres.

The end point where I reached, Guwahati Train Station

And I was actually thankful that we went through this phase. It was an adventure and such hindrances should occur in life from time to time. We can learn a lot about people and places. We learnt about Bihar, Jharkhand and also stayed at Chicken's Neck for few hours. All places have good and bad influences. It is how we tread through them is important. An I was fortunate to go in this trip.

Technically Tapan is my junior. But as Lab partners, this trip helped us bring the gap closer between a senior and junior. Through Subrata Ma'am, we were fortunate to attend a very nice conference in a new City. I also made a friend from Odisha in Jharkhand. Jayshree and I are still maintaining chats with each other. Truly, journey broadens your horizon. We get to know old people better, meet new people with whom we have longer bonds and also get a first hand experience about a new land and its habitants.

So let us make some trips into randomness and in that randomness, travelling with all uncertain variables build some lasting friendships.