Howrah-Delhi-Kalka mail celebrates 150-years of operation

The Howrah-Delhi-Kalka Mail train is certainly one of the most prestigious and oldest trains of the Indian Railways and it has completed 150-years of its existence. Its association dates back to the freedom struggle days when Netaji Subhas Bose, the greatest architect of Indian freedom struggle, boarded it from Gomoh, a railway junction station on the Asansol-Gaya section. It was in 1941 and Subhas Bose was in disguise and escaping from the British.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 3 January 2016.

The train dates back to the British period and, history was created as it chugged in at Allahabad junction on Saturday to mark its tryst with destiny. Apart from Netaji, the train was featured in a short story of Indian film director Satyajit Ray. The name of the story was 'The Mystery of the Kalka Mail' and in it, the three main characters travel from Calcutta to Delhi and on to Kalka on this train.
As far as history goes - the train was originally run by East Indian Railway Company and began operation between Calcutta and Delhi in 1866 as the East Indian Railway mail. Later, in 1891, its run was extended from Delhi to Kalka. It was used by the British civil servants to move to their summer capital in Shimla from Calcutta with the entire government machinery traveling on the train at the beginning of the summer months and returning by it at the end of summer. Both Howrah and Kalka had internal carriageways that ran along the platform so that the Viceroy and other high ranking officers could drive up to their rail coaches.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting links -

Moody gifts his neighbor a turban on his birthday (satire)

Lord Shiva’s solution for global warming – go under water (satire)

Didi discusses industries with Moo Cool and Omit Misra (satire)


Use online honey trappers to test the fidelity of the spouse

NASA developing hopping drones to explore Martian caves for human settlement

Cleanliness drive by Railways - collects Rs 58 lakhs in fine from Delhi Railway station


Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood

All female pop-group Moranbong Band cancels China goodwill tour

“The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar” - Disney’s upcoming television movie


Christmas Day bushfire destroys 100 homes in popular tourist spot of Lorne in Victoria

Migrants ready to pay £1,200 to people smugglers for trip across Channel in UK-registered car

US airdrops 50-tons of ammunition for M-16s and AK-47 to Syrian fighters

Another Godman bites the dust – Rampal follows Asaram Bapu and Nithyanand Swami

Indians are a God-fearing lot and Godmen are born from time to time, Godmen who are experts in the art of exploiting the gullible public in the name of God. The latest addition in this list is Rampal of Hissar after Asaram Bapu and Nithyanand Swami. These three have come into the national limelight but there are innumerable such Godmen in other parts of the country who are able to operate with impunity because of the fear complex of the victims, the superstitious beliefs and the fear of the Gods.
The activities of arrested 'Godman' 63-year-old Rampal and his Satlok Ashram in Hissar has come into focus because of the death of at least five women and an infant in the standoff between his followers and the police. As per reports, another over 200 people were injured in the clashes.
Search operations in his 12-acres farm has produced a whole range of sophisticated arms and ammunition that included a bullet-proof vehicle, an oil-tanker, two tractors and many two-wheelers apart from a huge cache of petrol bombs and acid syringes. The complete complex was highly fortified.
Brief details of arms and ammunitions recovered are three .32 bore revolvers, 19 air guns, two 12 bore double barrel guns, two .315 bore rifles, 28 cartridges of .32 bore, 50 cartridges of 12 bore and 25 cartridges of .315 bore. Moreover, there are many lockers inside the ashram which are yet to be investigated.
Rampal joins the likes of 76-year-old Asaram Bapu who is already in prison and is charged with rape, criminal conspiracy and other offences by a Jodhpur court in connection with alleged sexual exploitation of a minor girl in his ashram in Jodhpur.
Another Godman is Nithyanand Swami – he was caught in a sex scandal with actress Yuvarani in 2010 and had, recently, undergone a potency test at Victoria Hospital, Bangalore for this rape case. The CID officials who are investigating the case are believed to have subjected him to a voice test in order to match it to the available telephone conversation and video.
Satyajit Ray, the renowned film director, had made a film in 1965 on such Godmen – the film was Kapurush O Mahapurush (The Coward and the Holy Man) and dealt with a so-called holy man who was an expert at duping people, even the educated ones.