My Fantastic World

“So what kind of books do you like?” Somebody asked me.

“Fantasies and science fiction”, out came the spontaneous answer.



This has happened several times. I just started to wonder why. I read all sorts of books and watch all genres of movies. But somehow it is this particular class that I enjoy the most. The reason, I think, is their imaginative power of creation.

Through my upbringing as a student of science and engineering or may be just as my natural instinct I am grown to see things as they are visible to the eye. Doing otherwise may often be termed as a lack of concentration. Think of a student who feels sorry for ‘x’ when he sees , as poor ‘x’ has to carry ‘y’ around or goes ‘shhhhhh’ spotting ‘9’ cowering in the basement as ‘7’ hunts for him in . Try that too often and you are standing on the bench the next moment or worse, kneeling down in front of the class. When I look at the table lamp in my living room right now, what I see is a funnel-shaped hood with a narrower circle on top joined to one below with bigger diameter by a whitish cloth tapered at a particular angle. A 60watt incandescent bulb glows inside adding approximately 0.6 cents per hour to my electricity bill. My brain is taxed to imagine that it is some sort of a oversized firefly that has a very bright head and at the moment is afraid and has hid its luminous body in its opaque whitish shell; if I am calm for some time and may be hum a soothing tune, it will first peep its head out and once confident of its safety, jump off the table to glide in the air flaunting its radiant wings. That sort of brain work doesn’t come naturally to me. That makes me wonder how people work with fantasy with such ease.

Fantasy stories were part of everyone’s childhood, mine being no exception. Indian stories with monsters and princes were captivating. The fact that the life of the monster was hidden in some other creature secretly locked somewhere was the best ingenuity I liked. (That just reminded me of the horcruxes; more on that later.) However, the one science fiction that I think really swept me away for the first time was the story of a robot and his kid master. I had an old wrist watch at home whose plastic cover on the dial could come off easily. I so wished that I could call my flying robot through that. I gave it a few tries too. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

The next phase of my attachment to fantasies was dominated by Jules Verne. The journey started with the mysteries of The Mysterious Island. Thereon, the great writer never ceased to dazzle me with all the adventures, the visions and the thrills. Twenty Thousands Leagues under the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon, and Around the World in Eighty Days are to name just a few. The one that was closest to my heart though was Adrift in the Pacific. It is the story of survival and dominance by a group of school boys in a deserted island. I could identify myself with a character called Briant in the story. It is still one of the most enjoyed stories I have ever read. Probably the only story that supercedes it is that of Shankar in Chander Pahar. That is a gem by Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay. I was lucky to follow up this superb story by another by the same author called Hira Manik Jwale. Another story that I still remember was named Chander Hasir Bandh Bhengeche. I read it in a puja edition of Anandamela. The author probably was Adrish Bardhan.

The most recent spate of fantasies will include the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, the exploits of Eragon in the stories by Christopher Paolini and of course the magic of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. What really astonishes me in all these stories is how the authors create a very different world with a different history and geography and society organized by a different set of rules meticulously put together to the last minute details. Tolkien and Paolini have created different races with their own habits, qualities and legends. They set their story in altogether different fantasy worlds with their own maps for guidance. Stroud and Rowling set the stories in our everyday world with an extra hidden layer of happenings. Stroud’s classification of supernatural creatures and the link between their and our world is a brilliant innovation. Rowling's creation though I think is by far the best. The Harry Potter series though generally termed as children literature has much drama, romance, politics, adventure and social messages to pass for any other genre. Coming back to fantasy, I am amazed how carefully Rowling has designed the magical world. It is so similar to our everyday life in terms of socio-political aspects, education, relationships, law and order but in every bit of it there is a magical twist. Read through her description of the ministry of magic or the hospital for magical remedies and you can immediately spot her brilliance. That attention to details is absolutely spellbounding. She painted a fine picture with words.

I lack that inspiration to extend my imagination beyond the mundane experiences. The science fiction and the fantasies probably satisfy the ineptitude of a realist.

Apple iPad - The Funny Side

By now, all of you know about iPad. Yet another hyped product launch by Apple, yet another epitome of innovation and voila! You have a big iPhone-looking non-phone, I mean, iPad. The net is abuzz with speculations and analysis about this new device. Here are a few observations that were too funny not to blog about.

Firstly, Apple is not the first company to use iPad as a trademark. It turns out that Fujitsu, a Tokyo based company, launched a portable, touch-screen, Wi-Fi enabled device named iPad in 2002 though the intended market was different than the Apple iPad. Lengthening the list we have abrasive scrubbing pads for kitchen purposes, certain engines and motors made by Siemens and the padded bras by Canadian lingerie company Coconut Grove Pads. Hmmm, iPad has some history. The identity of the Apple iPad has also inspired the innovative minds. The following are arguably the best of the lot –

Kolkata Traffic Gyan

Kolkata traffic is abundant with catchy phrases both in written and verbal forms. The rear of the trucks and the ubiquitous autos are especially generous in this regard. Starting from patriotic mera bharat mahan and aggressive buri nazar wale tera mu kala, dekhbi ar jolbi luchir moto fulbi it ranges to more philosophical ones like buri nazar wale tera bhi bhala ho; sukh sapane, shanti smasane. It is because they so frequently reminds everyone to blow horn that the drivers never stop honking. The ‘blow’ and ‘horn’ are often separated by a long gap. Second thought. Do they actually mean to ‘blow’ something else? I saw a truck speeding in the wrong lane gleefully sporting follow traffic rools. I wonder if the similarity of the wrong spelling with ‘fools’ is just a coincidence. The old tiner bus is still declaring panch o dosh takar khuchra hoibe na while the minimum fare has now gone up to five rupees. However, the one I found really unique could be the best example of what ‘out of place’ means. The north side Sealdah local compartment had a notice formally painted at its entrance urging you to observe silence.

California Zephyr - The Journey

Train travel is rather unusual in the US with people always either driving or flying. However, given the time and the choice of a proper route, train travel in the US can be rewarding as I found out aboard the California Zephyr, arguably the best scenic train ride in the country.

Seven odd souls of us started from the Chicago Union Station. We took train # 5, California Zephyr, from Chicago to Emeryville, California. This journey was one of the best that I have ever made. We had reserved coach seats. Being students, it was hard to afford better accommodation. These seats were big and comfy. Pillows were supplied by the train attendant, so overall it was pretty nice. Sleeping in the seats was rather a problem on the first night, though we did manage to get some sleep. The second night was much better, may be the body got used to it. A light blanket helped as it got chilly during the nights.

The seats had big windows with curtains. However, we spent most of our time in the lounge car. It was the best there to enjoy the scenery. The first day was not very special. After the train departed exactly at 2pm from the Chicago Union Station, it cruised through the fall colors and the corn fields of Chicago and the surrounding area. The second day, the Zephyr reached Denver in the early morning. It had snowed the previous night and it was pretty cold. The train halts there for an hour and we took the opportunity to walk around. However, much to our dismay the station was bland. There was hardly any activity with no stalls whatsoever. That was so unlike an Indian station where you can find a whole new world, a different dynamics on its own. I guess the US train stations used to be like that during the golden days of the railways here before they died down with the expressways and the airways coming in.

The part of the trip that followed through the whole day was a delightful experience. If you love to see nature at its best, you cannot miss this part of the California Zephyr. The train gradually started its ascend into the Rocky mountains. As it gained height and emerged from one of the numerous short tunnels, the whole city of Denver could be seen at a distance. The trees on the snowy mountains painted a portrait that looked like the pencil sketch work of a fine artist. The view was amazing. During its course in the mountains, we went through the Moffat tunnel, 6.5miles long located at an altitude of 9500ft above the sea level.



Once past the Rockies, we once again entered an elegant exhibition of the fall colors in the gallery of the Colorado canyons. As we went through the Gore, the Byers and the Red Canyons breathtaking views unfolded in every other turn. I remember my friend joking that we are moving our heads like watching a tennis match to capture the views on both sides. The landscape started with yellow grasses at the bottom, followed by the grey or the red granites, topped with a layer of green pine trees embellished with a touch of white snow. We were also fortunate to spot a few bald eagles nesting in the high leafless trees.






When we entered the Glenwood Canyons, the snow was back. Hot sulfur springs could be seen at places which gave the name to our next stop, Glenwood Springs. What sets this canyon different is the presence of the spectacular stretch of the highway I-70. The highway comprising of a lot of tunnels and bridges were built at a staggering cost of 40 million USD per mile to preserve the beauty of the canyon. I guess very few places have to offer such a blend of natural beauty and engineering marvel.

The canyons ended in a rather flat landscape with smaller mesa mountains scattered around. This was the first time that we saw clear blue sky with copious sunlight. It led the way for a superb light and shadow effect all around us. The moon which was up after a little while only added to the spectacle.




We went through the lunar landscape to enter the glittering industrialized area of the Salt Lake City at night. The next morning, we were in the great basin of Utah and Nevada. It was a desert with dry land, short bushes, small hillocks and white salt marshes. The treeless snow clad mountains of the Sierra Nevada loomed at a distance. However, the real spectacle was in the sky. Long stripes of sirus clouds lit with the early sun rays, the rainbows and the stunning nacreous clouds soothed our minds at the day break. After crossing Reno, the train gained altitude quickly with shrap loops to reach the pine forests and the Truckee River in the Sierra Nevada. We tunneled through the summit of the Sierras to emerge to the sight of the Donner Lake. By now we had entered California. Once we were through the great hole, a 1659ft long tunnel through the toughest part of the Sierra, we descended fast to the marshy lands of California with a lot of birds. The great hole was dug by Chinese workers mostly by hand tools, progressing a few feet a day at most and often impeded by extreme weather conditions. We had to get off one station before Emeryville as the Bay Bridge was closed. We took a bus, which was included in the itinerary, to reach the downtown of San Francisco.



The trip was so enjoyable not just because of the views but also for the company. Taking such a long journey is boring if you are alone, especially at night. It is good to have a book or a deck of playing cards. However, being in a group of seven, we hardly had to think about how to spend time. It was a perfect trip.

Summary of the California Zephyr train trip –
Length – 2438 miles (3,924-km)
Duration – approx 52 hours
Frequency – daily (between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville, California)
Accommodation – Coach seat (seats similar to the flight first-class), roomettes (sleeping berths but with very limited space for baggage), bedrooms
Amenities – Dining car with service of breakfast/lunch/dinner at affordable rates, Lounge car with big windows to enjoy the scenery and a snack bar, changing rooms in each car, checked baggage service
Scenic attractions –
• Rocky Mountains
• Sierra Nevadas
• Moffat Tunnel
• Colorado's Gore, Byers, Red and Glenwood Canyons
• Truckee River
• Donner Lake
Useful Link - http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/Page/1241210579555/1237405732517

It's a long way to the pacific ...

This is definitely last minute. A few hours to board the train and here comes my pre-journey write-up. However, if that makes you think that I was not preparing for trip, you are grossly mistaken. The map of the route, essential to-do lists for the train, the games, the food, the books, the direction printouts, the reviews of the salient points are all ready to accompany me on this would-be memorable trip. Train journeys, as I think of those in general in India, are anything but relaxing. Those who have been on the local and even not-so-local trains know what I mean. If you don’t, I will explain another day. That is a story in itself. However, I have been lucky to be on a few long distance train rides which were really pleasing. So I had a taste that train travel can be fun given a comfortable seating and an enjoyable company. However, this is much more than that.

We are going to take the California Zephyr, a 52 hour journey from Chicago to San Francisco. San Francisco is a great city in itself. But here, it is the road that leads there matters more than the destination itself. We will pass through the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Neveda, follow the Colorado River as it grows from a narrow spring to a more formidable river, pass through long tunnels and finally cruise along the pacific coast. If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, I don’t know what will!

When I told my roommate of this plan, he asked,”Are you crazy?” Well, I guess crazy I am. Not because I am taking this long journey but because yesterday I hunted the public library to find the only book I found online which deals with this particular journey titled “Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America” and also because today I am penning this write-up down just four hours before the train departs Chicago and my bags are still not packed.