Rohit's Ramblings

This weekend i went to Calcutta and on the train, as i had nothing better to do, i stated doing some mental gymnastics. The fact was that i was going to Calcutta in the 2020 Ranchi-Howrah Shatabdi Express. Now Shatabdi's are supposed to be the fastest trains in India travelling at 100 km per hour and above. But somehow my mental arithmetic did not gel. Consider this: 2020 Ranchi Howrah Shatabdi Express leaves Ranchi railway station at 13:45 hours and reaches Howrah station at 21:10 hours. The total distance between Ranchi and Howrah is (as per the printed ticket) is 427 km. That means that in 7 hours 25 minutes (or in 7x60 + 25 = 445 minutes) the Shatabdi Express covers a distance of 427 km. That simply gives the speed of Shatabdi Express as 57.57 Km per hour. Now i returned by the 8615 Howrah Hatia Express. This train leaves Howrah at 22:05 hours and reaches Ranchi at 06:25 hours. The distance covered by the 8615 Howrah Hatia Express is 420 km. That means that in 8 hours 20 minute...

Well... Since i have come to Ranchi, I have discovered the charms of this city. Some of them amusing; some of them hilarious - but all of them mostly entertaining. Today I will write about a small shop which is located on the Main Road. It caught my eye as the board above the shop said " Stockist: Cigarettes and Pressure Cookers ". I was completly flabbergasted. What could cigarettes and pressure cookers have in common. My management trained mind boggled at the though of a shop selling a fast moving consumer good (FMCG) and a consumer durable item. But hold on... more to come - As i approached the shop i was left speechless. In tiny letters was written " We sell fresh fruit juices " and it was followed by a list of juices and their prices. A look at the shop was most entertaining - on one rack were all makes of pressure cooker; on the other side half the rack was filled up with cigarettes and the remaining with fruits. Presumably to be crushed and made into juices. ...