Travel Guide: How to bag pack for a train Journey?


Train Journey is always most relaxed and enjoyable journey you can ever experience. But, as the train journey’s can be long, so you need to pack your bag with all necessary stuffs. I have traveled a lot in India and each and every time I have faced some trouble while traveling. Every time I missed something which is a must have and later it really troubles me a lot. So with my experience I am sharing you few must have which you need to carry while traveling through a train in India. 

A small handy travel bag: The first thing you need to carry is a travel bag which is very handy and you can put all your necessary staffs there. Even while traveling by sleeper class you can avoid hiring a pillow and make the bag your pillow. Sometimes, extra pillows are not available in the train, so your bag can be your pillow which can ensure a nice good night sleep for you. Moreover, you can always keep it by your side, so that while traveling all the necessary things will be by your side.

Phone Charger: Please check if you have packed your charger or not. It might save you in any emergency situation as phones are the only way to get connected to your family and anyone in need.

Make a list of the emergency contacts in a paper: You might forget to take the charger, or your charged might stop working or not any charging point in your berth. Even you can lose your phone. So this list of contacts will help you to call the person in emergency situations. You can get anyone’s phone and make a call if needed.

Carry Medicine: Carrying few medicines for the emergency purpose is a must have. Any time any emergency can come up and as you are in train you might not be able to take any step further. So some emergency medicine like medicine for gastric, headache, tummy ache, and balm should be always with you. Moreover, for girls they should carry cycle pads, pain killer, and birth control pill with them.

Take your Travel kits: Don’t forget to take your important travel kits like your tooth brush, tooth paste, a hand soap, some dry and wet tissues, face moisturizer, face wash, hand sanitizer, hand and foot cream , a small mirror, lip balm. Moreover, for long hair girls carry a hair band which will hold your hair for the time being. As it’s a long journey, so these things will help you to feel comfortable in the journey. It might be a great relief for you. Perfume is a must. As you are traveling for days and you won’t get a scope to take shower so perfume can save you from a bad smell.

Eating stuffs: As it’s a long journey, so the best idea to carry some foods, snacks, water and juices with you. Though in the train always the food is available, but you might not get it all the time and sometimes the lunch and dinner comes late, so it’s better to carry some fruits, dry fruits, cookies, snacks, water and juice with you always.

Carry a sleeper and comfortable cloth: As for few days train is going to be your home, you should avoid jeans and wear something comfortable for wearing. If you are wearing jeans or any head cloths then carry a pajama/ trouser for the night wear.

Carry a light Shawl or light blanket: I know carrying a blanket will be so hard while traveling, but in a train journey it is a must have if you are traveling by sleeper class, because they don’t provide it. But for an ac class thy provide blanket, so you don’t need to carry while traveling by ac class, but I suggest you to carry a shawl at least. It goes really cold in train at night in every season, so carrying a light blanket or shawl is a best idea for you.

Don’t forget to charge your Phone, tab and laptop, camera: Before leaving, never forget to charge your gadget to the full. It is really necessary as you need it as a recreation and both communication purpose. So before leaving just check once if all are fully charged or not.
So, these are all the staff I think you need to check, if properly packed or not. These packing will help you a lot on the way. You might not find some staff important now, but it is necessary as I am explaining from my own experience. So, hope this guideline will help you a lot.


Happy Traveling

Insight to an International Student

“Fluctuation in my mind..........
Seems as if all are of same kind.......
It's not that I don't know.........
It's not that I don't care.........
It's something that I can't ignore........
It's something that I can't control.......

It comes as a wave as if from the ocean.......
sweeps away all from something that is in common.......
It leaves me half on something’s behalf........
It knocks me unconscious when I am in subconscious........”

These lines are written by an international student, Sandesh Satyal, from MBA (Masters in Business Administration), B.N Bahadur Institute of Management Science. He was an 1st semester student who came to Mysore for getting an MBA degree for better opportunities in the field of Business. Sandesh, the younger son of his family has dream to go long way in his life and he see this degree as a way to his dream coming true.


24 year old Sandesh used to run a software company back to his country ‘Nepal’ with three of his friends. There he lacked some managerial skills which was necessary for his profession. So, to become an effective manager and gain managerial skills he came to India to continue with his studies. Before coming to India,  he worked as a lower level officer in companies in his country ‘Nepal’. But he has desire to go to the higher position and to achieve that he needed higher degree. “To reach my desire goal, I need to complete my MBA”, he said.


He could choose some other country, but he didn’t want to make a long distance with his family. “India is near to my country. So, whenever I want, I can visit my family. I love my family a lot” he said. On his opinion if he would go to other countries, it might not get opportunity to visit his family frequently. “I saw my friends coming once to my country in 7 years to see their family” he added.


Sandesh is staying in Mysore with four other Nepali guys in a flat. All other guys are from the ‘Mysore University’. They divide all their works equally among them. Everyone has a routine schedule to do their work. They also have routine for cooking, everyone have their own day of cooking food. “I am a big lazy cook. But I have to cook according to my day here” he told. He can cook food, even though he misses their ‘Nepali’ food,Momo.

“Here in the institute we have enough equipment; like projector which we lack in our country” he praised. He likes the standard of education here. He likes the way teacher are giving lecture and teaching lessons. But he is disappointed with the old/aged lecturers. On his opinion, “Some teachers, especially the young teachers are very interactive. They show different types of corporate examples and make the class interesting. The old teachers are very boring.”
Though he praised the standard of education, but he is facing some problems in the institute. “Sometimes teachers and classmates talk in ‘Kannada’ (the state language of Karnataka State ‘Kannada’). Some people think I am local and start talking in ‘Kannad’, that irritates me” he claimed. Moreover, he is disappointed with the behavior administration. “Staff of our department come and sit in the office, take tea and get out at 5.They never listen students complain, nothing. They don’t work on time” he added. He is also frustrated with the food in the food court. On his opinion, the food court doesn’t have variety of food, only one-two items per day they serve.

Sandesh has obsession with bike riding. While he was a child, he told his father about his fascination on bike and convey the interest of learn bike riding. His father taught him riding bike and he started his bike riding when he was at 6th standard. Back to his country ‘Nepal’ he used to do stunt and broke his bike several times. “I am a rough rider. Whenever I ride, no one of my friend sits back, because they are afraid of my speed” he told. He had accidents 2-3 times, but even he is so obsessed on bike riding that he never bothers about it. Although he had accidents but he never had any scratches regarding bike riding and he told it very proudly. Then he shared a story on his bike riding. “One time I rolled 6-7 ft. I just get up, got into the bike and just went. People were so amazed looking at me. Then I went to mechanic and ask my friends for loan. Then I repaired the bike and went home. No one ever knew yet” he said in a delighted way.

Kathmundu guy Sandesh Satyal has planned to move in India. He thinks there is full of resource in India. So, if he gets enough opportunities, he will move in Bangalore after two years. But that will only happen if he gets a satisfying job and salary their otherwise he will be back to Nepal. Going back to his country he is planning to open his own venture.
This MBA guy has lots of dreams ahead his mind. He dreams to have his own venture or manage big ‘IT’ Company. “My dream job is to manage a very very very very very big ‘IT’(Information Technology) company” he expressed with lots of desire on his eyes. He wants to have a big Bungalow, two to three cars, three to four bikes of his choices and a peaceful life, “And also 1 wife, not 3-4, like my choice of cars and bikes. One is enough to spoiling my life” he laughed.

Sandesh Satyal writes poems during his free time. Whenever he feels complication, problems in his life and wants to escape from this, he takes a notebook and start writing poems. He gets a kind of peace while writing poems. “While I write a poem I go into another state of mind. My poems are always related to fluctuation of emotions. I get peace reading them again after writing those poems” he stated.
“I have passion for music. I was a great metal listener. But now the interest diverted to sentimental Hindi songs. According to the time it changes” he said. He also loves playing guitar. He did not learn it from any professionals. He learnt the basics from his friends and later he took knowledge from internet. He pooled, “I find out some tutorials in the internet, I practiced it and learnt how to play.”
Poem lover Sandesh Satyal loves writing poem but he never prefers to take it as a profession. On his opinion, writing poem will never support for his livelihood and it will never help him to get the life of his dream. “Money might not be everything in life, but money is most important part of that everything. So, though I am interested in writing poem, but I don’t want to be a poet” he admitted. So, he just wants to go through the surface, don’t want to go deep into writing poem. “I write some simple poems and I like to do that. It’s a way to pass my free time” he added. He just loves to write poems and post it on ‘Facebook’. People give appreciation and comments and he is happy with that.
Sandesh Satyal is an example of a normal Nepali boy who comes to India to study. He has lots of dream ahead his life and he seems ambitious to fulfill his dreams. He is an ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholar who wants to work as a professional in an organisation and end up with his own Venture. Along with study he has passion for music, writing poems and also reading books which go totally opposite to his academic interest. He chooses his own path of life and walking towards it. He is trying to make a better future for him and ensure a better life for his family.
By Debesree Saha