Tag: travel

In The News

“Hanuman Ansh” An Unexpected Blockbuster!

Yesterday, we ticked off one more item from our bucket list! We finally saw the Hindi movie, “Hanuman Ansh” at the PVR Multiplex at Bengaluru’s Orion Mall. I say finally because this movie has created a major buzz in India since it was released on August 7, 2026. The popularity of this movie, directed and produced ( with others) by Vishal Chaturvedi, has since spread far and wide at a bewildering speed! In today’s language, “Hanuman Ansh” has truly gone viral!

The movie is based on the life of a religious leader of Sanatan Dharma called Neeb Karori Baba or more respectfully as Maharaj-ji. He lived from about 1900 to 1973. He was a major devotee of Shri Hanuman. You will know that Shri Hanuman ( known more popularly as Shri Anjaneya or Sri Hanumantha in South India) is one of the most popular of the many Gods in Santa Dharma. More recently, even before the release of this movie, I read that the famous cricketer Virat Kohli and his film star wife Anusha Sharma were devotees of Neeb Karori Baba. Interestingly, his early followers included Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

I can think of very few parallels where movies based on Santan Dharma have had such an impact. I recall that way back in 1975, there was a movie called, ” Jai Santoshi Maa” which became a big hit despite its unconventional subject. It was a mythological film about a Goddess from the Hindu pantheon. In those days, television was still not available in India. Much later, in 1987, Ramanand Sagar’s “Ramayana” took India by storm. This television serial was such a success that when it was broadcast much of the country (which had access to a television) virtually came to a halt!

Now decades late, “Hanuman Ansh” has created waves. It is said to have been produced on a shoe string budget of Rs 2 crores. ( Rs 1 crore is about $104K) . The initial response was not particularly strong. It made just Rs 90 lakhs in the first week. Later, it took off and with strong word of mouth publicity it has attained heights which the producers – or anyone else for that matter- would not have dreamt of. As I write, the box office collections is stated to have passed Rs 400 crores. In the process, it has outstripped even best selling mainstream Hindi movies, like “Dhurandhar 2”. No other movie has come anywhere close to “Hanuman Ansh”.

What I found striking about the movie was its simplicity. It had a universal appeal which took you back to your roots, so to speak. The story was told simply and reinforced the value of having deep faith. The fact that it had sub-titles in English did help.

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!