Month: July 2026

In The News, My Take

Jyotirmayee Nayak Crowned Indian Idol 16 Winner

We were thrilled to see Jyotirmayee Nayak win Indian Idol 16 last night. This popular show on Sony Liv is a favorite amongst many music lovers in India and abroad. In my family, over the years we have become major fans of this program. I can still remember the very first season of Indian Idol which was won by Abhijeet Sawant in 2004. It was a good to see him and many of the past winners of the show on July 4, 2026. It was a great gesture on the part of the show’s producers to bring them back for sheer nostalgia.

Now coming back to Season 16. When we saw Season 15 we felt the standard of the participants was very high. I now feel that Season 16 had an even more talented bunch of singers. Like last year, when Manasi Ghosh became the first female to ever win the title of Indian Idol, this year too a young lady won the title. I have always supported Jyotirmayee Nayak from her first introduction when she sang for cancer patients in their hospital wards as a music therapist.

I was thrilled that Tanishk Shukla was the first runner up. He richly deserved the title. When the winner was given Rs 20 lakhs as prize money, the organizers should have given him- the first runner up Rs 10 lakhs or even Rs 7.5 lakhs. Instead he was given Rs 5 lakhs- the same amount as the second runner up, Manraj Veer Singh. What then is the difference between the second and third place. Strange! For the record, Anshika Chonkar and Suhail Sufi were declared 4 and 5 and given Rs 3 lakhs each. I personally felt that Anshika should have been No 3 instead of Manraj but that is my view!

A few thoughts about Myscmme Bosu. We really rooted for her in Season 15 and were sad to see her get eliminated in the Top 7 stage. But this did not in my opinion justify her getting a wild card entry at a late stage of the show when participants had fought hard to reach the Top 10. I recognize the value of a wild card entry in a reality show. If at all they had to have one, they should have given a chance to someone like Shreenidhi Shastry or Sughanda Date from this season. Why go back to the previous season? It is like No 10 of Wimbledon last year being given a wild card to join the top 8 of this year’s Wimbledon!! This defies all logic.

To her credit, Myscmme did sing very well . Here’s my next point: the way she was eliminated should not be done to anyone ever again. Firstly, when they had seven participants, they should have eliminated two and got the Top 5. It was very disappointing to see the way she was eliminated from the Top 6. The judges could have heard all six sing, conferred amongst themselves and then named the Top 5.

Lastly, guys, we enjoy listening to songs but 82 episodes is just too long in this day and age! We felt it was being dragged on and on perhaps because there was no dearth of sponsors!

Congratulations to all the participants, especially the winners. I am sure Jyotirmayee, Tanishk, Manraj, Anshika, and Sulhail will shine in the years to come. My best wishes to all of them!

My Take, reminiscences

Exploring the California Zephyr: A Scenic Journey

Amtrak’s California Zephyr was ready to go at Chicago’s Union Station. This iconic route from Chicago to the West Coast was started in 1949! My wife and I got in like hundreds of other passengers – each finding their own coach and seat, heading for their own destinations. Some were traveling to Mt Pleasant or Burlington, IA while others were going further to Lincoln, NE, or even beyond to Denver, CO or Salt Lake City, UT. Some were traveling all the way to California, getting off at Sacramento, for example or like us going to the very last stop, Emeryville in the Bay Area of California.

This train has one of the longest routes in the North American continent. It covers 2438 miles ( 3924 km) across 7 states in a journey of over 52 hours with an average speed of 55 miles per hour. Check out this map in Wikipedia which shows the route of the Zephyr.

As the clock moved towards 2.00 pm we heard the last call for passengers to board the train. An official in the uniform of the Amtrak Train Conductor sang out, ” All aboard the California Zephyr”. Shortly after, our train powered by 4200 horsepower Siemens ALC 42 Charger diesel electric locomotives began it’s long journey. The Superliner Sightseeing Lounge with its glass dome roof was a stand out feature. We could sit here and enjoy the scenery as we sped past.

We crossed a lot of farmland then crossed the mighty Mississippi River before reaching Galesburg, IL. Later that night, at nearly midnight, we stopped at Omaha, NE.We woke up next morning near Crescent Valley and Battle Mountain in Nevada to see a beautiful sunrise on the desert.

Pictures we took don’t do justice to the sheer grandeur of the nature in all its magnificence. Later we saw many canyons, craggy hills and miles of desert in Nevada. . After an hour’s stop at Denver, Colorado. we began the climb up the mountains. The browns of the desert gave way to the greens of the mountains. We passed the Colorado River where people were enjoying kayaking and river water rafting. Then we came to the best part of the trip as we saw the majestic snow clad peaks of the Rockies in the distance.

The Zephyr moved into the last lap of its long journey. We passed the lakes in the Sierra Nevada mountains and here again witnessed some very pretty scenes. We passed the 7000 feet high Donner Pass and the lovely Donner Lake- which sight will remain in our minds for long.

The train then began its descent to the sea level of the Bay Area. We saw the waters of the Bay glisten in the late afternoon sun as the Zephyr sped to its final destination, Emeryville, CA. We reached around 4.30 pm a short while ahead of the scheduled arrival.

The food in the Dining Car was much better than we expected. Some people had told us with the best of intentions, that we would be well advised to carry a lot of snacks as the Amtrak food wouldn’t be that good. This advice, we found to our relief, was quite wrong. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner on two days in the dining car and we found the food was pretty good! The Dining Car also presented an opportunity for us to meet fellow passengers and make new friends.

Was 52 hours tn the train too long ? No, it wasn’t- as we had comfortable private sleeper cabins with all the necessary amenities including a washroom en suite. Perhaps pending 52 hours in the chair car would be very tough. But then I am 74 ! All the Amtrak staff were courteous and efficient during our trip, especially Antonio. Tony has spent 29 years of his life doing the job of a coach attendant – and he does it damn well!

My conclusion based on our experience: you need to spend more to really enjoy the long train ride. The views make the journey well worth the cost. The amenities were reasonably good. The staff were helpful and took good care of us.

Pro tip: to get the best views, you should travel on the California Zephyr from Chicago to Emeryville as you get the best views on this route. Emeryville to Chicago- or so we are told- is not that hot as many of the best scenes come during the night when you are asleep in bed!