A visit to the Railway station with the longest name in India, Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta.

There are things that some people do that makes them look like lunatics to others. For me chasing travel trivia is one such activity. A couple of years back when I went to visit a railway station in Orissa just because it had the smallest railway station name in India my colleagues at work couldn't believe it.  They told me that I was a 'pagal aadmi' (mad guy). I covered 50 kms on bus and 50 more on a train just to see that station so they thought they had every reason to call me pagal.

Well, they should have seen what I did to reach the station with the longest name in India.It is  situated on the Renigunta-Arakkonam section of Southern Railway. I started the night before to catch a 1 am train to Renigunta (from Nellore,where I live presently). From there I caught a morning 5 am passenger to Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta and reached the station at around 6 30am. Though I had the easier option to take the bus route I wanted to make the experience truthful to the purpose of my visit so I stuck with the inconvenient option of train.

The Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta station itself is nothing much. There is a small building housing the waiting area and a small room from where the tickets are issued. It was closed when I got down at the station. Only two trains have a stop here. As it was early morning the surroundings were bathed in the morning glow of the sunlight. On one side of the station a road runs, on the other side of which is a hillock. The sunlight fell on this hillock illuminating its rocky terrain. The other side was the village stuck close to the tracks. I strolled around here, making a rectangular circuit around the station on the opposing two tracks. This place lacked the kind of tranquility I experienced in the station with the smallest name, Ib in Orissa. So I decided to head back as soon as possible but before doing so I wanted to have breakfast. Sometimes you get the most delicious tiffins in remote villages. With this in mind I had a plate of hot Idlis in a tiffin center just in front of the station building. To my disappointment it was horrible.

I decided to head back and first took some pics with the name boards and the building. Luckily for me one train running in the opposing direction was due to arrive and I quickly bought a ticket from the old woman at the ticket counter. The tickets looked ancient. I did not know that cardboard tickets were still in existence. And it cost me only Rs15 which was including some kind of commission that the old woman was muttering about. I did not understand a word of what she spoke. I boarded that train to reach Renigunta Junction in an hour and from there I caught an RTC bus to Nellore to complete my trip by afternoon 1 am. So 12 hours and 320 Kms up and down for a trip to the station with the longest station name in India. Call me a pagal but it was an awesome trip!