Shanghai Sagas - Of Maglevs and High Speed Trains

My journey in the fastest train in the world. Find the full English Transcript below.

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[00:00]

Now I’m going towards the Maglev train. This is supposed to be the fastest train in the world. This is the platform. I got off at Longyang Metro station. The Magev station is right next to the Longyang metro station. This man is smiling, he’s the guard here. Good man. And… the train will come here. Right downstairs there’s a McCafé. This McCafé is built exactly like McDonalds. It is a complete McDonalds copy. You just get Chinese food instead of burgers. They have the same McDonalds Symbol, the same way of writing “Mc” and have written Café instead of Donald. There aren’t too many people here, not too many. The ticket is slightly expensive as compared to normal metro. In a normal metro I’d have gone in 4¥. This I’m travelling in 40¥. The original price is 50¥ but I have Shanghai’s transportation card so I get a discount on that. I don’t know how the VIP section is. It is for 100¥. I haven’t taken that one.

[01.:00]

And they say its speed is 431 kmph. This leaves every 15-20 mins. 40… 431 kmph is its peak speed between 1500 and 1545 hrs, so that’s when I’ve come. Rest of the times it must go to 400 which is still quite fast. They say that it reaches 502¹ in experimental conditions. But people don’t see it going that fast in regular use. This is the ordinary section. There must be a VIP one somewhere. Let’s see. The platform is very small and clean.

Chinese announcement in background.

They say that there are a lot of amenities inside the train. Even I don’t know exactly what’s there, even I have just heard of it. Will find out in a bit.

[02:00]

Announcement in English in the background.

I don’t have a ticket because I have entered via the Shanghai metro card. I don’t know what’ll happen. But, let’s see. OK, this is the VOP class. 1,2 are the VIP class and 3 to 6 are the economy classes. Now how do I know which is 1,2? And which side will the train come from? They have a right side rule right? So which side would the train be coming from? The line is only till there. The train will come from the back means it will come from the right means it will come from here. And will go back from here! No. Ok these people have 2 tracks. They don’t join. The train must move on these on both sides. They might not have the right-left rule for the Maglev. Because they haven’t made a space to change tracks. The tracks go till there and stop in mid-air. So if any day the Maglev has failed breaks, it’ll fly off and crash into the building.

[03:00]

There are no walls to stop it. These people trust their technology. The tracks can be seen going way far off.

So what was I saying? This peaks at 431 but they don’t always take it at 431. They take it till… 400 maybe. In the busy hours wiz morning 9 to 9:45 and evening 15 to 15:45 they peak. They take it to a full 431. So what’s the time now. It’s 15:30. So it should happen. The normal metro takes some 16 mins². It’s said that this takes 7 mins. So the normal metro itself is quite fast.

[04:00]

And this is more than double the speed³. This is the roof of the station. I’d thought that this whole thing would be underground. This is right over the head. Ok here is the 1 and 2. That is VIP. This is gate number 4. It’s quite empty in the back, so I can go and sit there. Basically I want a window seat where I can shoot everything. Keshia showed me the video yesterday. I saw the trees going back at high speed. Got to see that. Mainly that. Even the metro stations here are pretty clean, just it has crowds and dustbins there. This is a bit excessively clean.

[05:00]

Maybe that’s the train coming. Something surely is coming. Can’t see it from here. Will see now. Yes that is the train. See the train is coming. It’ll come here now. Oh this is 2, the VIP section.

Train arrives

This is full on the inside. Has chairs. So should I enter the VIP section? Let’s see, how does it look from the outside. Looks normal. No this has more space. Might be checking the ticket inside. Let’s be safe. No problems to be taken in China.

[06:00]

But coming in without a ticket is also difficult. Let’s see what happens. Even I don’t know. How would I know! People are gathering up. It’s a small train. No space to stand. Maybe it’ll open from here.

People are staring at me, giving a what-madness-is-he-doing-with-the-camera look.

[07:00]

Open up!

Our crowd is standing like that crowd. Everyone’s still sitting inside. One minute! If I can go like this, then I can also come back in this. Oh! the TT might be checking the tickets inside. That’s why they aren’t opening the gates.

[08:00]

He might be taking the money inside because when I entered he didn’t take the money. This might be happening. Maybe the gate’s opening from there. Opened here too. These people open in sync. Everyone will open together. And here we enter. Let’s sit… let’s sit a bit more, sorry. Let’s sit a bit more inside. Let’s sit here. There’s leg space too. It’s loading. People are coming. Maybe this man got irritated from me and went away.

[09:00]

I’m going to keep blabbering here.

Hello. I’ll be speaking in Hindi a bit. Okay. This guy infront of me is also here to shoot, has a camera in his neck. But this is a photo camera. He might not be taking a video. People are walking outside. It looks like this girl knows about the Maglev. This one on the left. Perhaps she said that the view isn’t good on that side, so this man came here.

People are still coming in. He’s calling people on the escalator.

[10:00]

This looks a VIP type. Ok. If I’d gone to the VIP section they’d have taken 100¥ from the card. Now they’ll take 50. A lot of people seem to be first timers. Even they don’t know anything. They seem to be as confused as me. I think it’s done. The gates are closed.

Others talk.

They have a meter here which shows the speed at the moment. So people sit and wait for 431.

[11:00]

And they have to click a picture at exactly 431. I will surely get it because I’m taking a video. Should’ve had 2 cameras. One for the speedometer another for this. I’ll watch the speedometer. You watch the view outside. It has started moving. And it’s off. 3,4, this is a good acceleration, has already reached 10. 20. 45. 70.

[12:00]

This is the opposite track. Ya this is the opposite track. The train on the side should be seen along the way. 110.

150. 180. Now it’s not accelerating at the same rate. But I can feel it accelerate. When it turns, I feel it.

[13:00]

The view on that side is good. There’s some lighting problem. That side has a sunset-ish type of a sky. The color of the sky won’t come well on this. You see the speed. It has reached 300. The reflection you see on the glass is the camera. And behind it is me. Hi. It’s oscillating between 305 and 306 right now.

[14:00]

380. Now it feels like something’s happening. This is quite smooth but not completely smooth. More than this… nah you can’t find anything smoother than this. 400. This has crossed 400. 420. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 2… 25. 29. 30. 31!

[15:00]

31. It won’t go beyond 31.

Man infront of me: I got it. It’s not easy (laughs)

Even I got it. I got it in the video. 31 is its limit. The man infront of me is happy. Was taking a picture at 31. Now it has started to slow down. It went to 25.

[16:00]

There was a shock. Oh! The shock which happened was the other train going from the side. Hardly half… it didn’t take even 1 sec for the 2 trains to cross.

People chatting in the background.

This is German technology.

[17:00]

This has been built by Germans but the Germans didn’t have enough money to make it in their own country. So they’ve made it here. The technology is German, but Germany doesn’t have this technology. That thing which went by was a Maglev train. I think we’ve reached. How long did the full journey take? I didn’t notice. Must’ve taken some 7-8 mins.

How long did it take? They entire journey.

7 mins.

Well to the airport 7 mins 21 secs⁴.

7 mins 21 secs.

It is slowing down. Why, are we there already?

Oh ya.

Oh.

That’s the airport.

We’re there already.

That’s terminal one and that’s terminal 2.

Next time we’ll go that way. Won’t carry too much luggage.

That’s what I said last time.

Continue talking.

[18:00]

You’re going back in this train?

Yeah. I talked to the staff here. We don’t need to get out. But usually if you have a return ticket you have to go out. Check out. And then check in again. I discussed with them so…

How… I came in with my metro card, so how are they gonna charge me?

Oh. You have your local transportation card. 40¥.

Yes. If I go back it’ll be 80¥.

Ya. You have to go out and check in again.

Okay.

No TT is coming here. But people have stood up and are leaving.

You go out?

What if I keep sitting here?

No you cannot. I discussed with them. Both sides.

Okay.

[19:00]

This good girl helped a lot. Was telling things. People keep their stiff here and there’s also an overhead cabin. No one’s checking anything here. So I can keep sitting inside. Means I can keep sitting here, go around the entire day, and I can exit at the other station for 40¥. Whichever one I started from, I can exit at the next one. Won’t make a difference. Unless there is a checking. I don’t know whether they do it or not. It doesn’t look like there’s any checking. I didn’t have one. I came out. Maybe it’ll happen after this video. A lot of people exited. A lot of people fitted inside the small train.

[20:00]

We have reached Pudong international airport. And am now taking the escalator and exiting. I’ll turn off the video when I exit. Let’s see. This was the Maglev. Was good.

Here’s the ticket counter. Need to use my card here. When I entered I had 59¥ on the card. Now it should become 19 according to the math. Let’s see.

[21:00]

This is it. It’s 19. So, I exited.

So this was the Maglev. Now I need to go back to Lobyang⁵. That’ll be quite far. I’d eaten before leaving. So where’s the metro line? Lets find it, I’ll leave in a while. This is enough for today. OK? The video’s only 21 mins? No problem. Bye!

Notes and Errors:

1.      [01:25] I later checked it was 501 kmph.

2.      [03:53] I checked later while going back. It took 51 mins.

3.      [4:04] The normal metro operates at 80 kmph, but the average speed is less because of the halts at the stations.

4.      [17:32] I checked later it was an exact 7 mins 21 secs. Between [11:27] and [18:48] on this video.

5.      [21:16] Longyang

Angel

This is a poem, spanning over 5 years and 2 countries. A tribute, to an angel.

Angel

I know not, who are you

I just know, that you are true

Know, that you are there

know, that you always care

I can’t say, I know not who you are

but I want to ask, when did we come so far?

You befriended me, when I was alone

and heard me out, when I wasn’t even known

I don’t know why, but I could trust you

though trust is a treasure, I share with few

There was something, which connected you and me

Perhaps the future of a relation which was to be

What followed was six months of utter silence

But you in my thoughts I could sense

The next time we talked, we exchanged numbers

I fearfully sent you a text, you replied to my wonder

What started as one innocent message, became nights of endless talks

I didn’t even know when, you became those short stops in my walks

Determined to know more about you, I logged on one day

Somehow, I ended up telling you more about myself to my dismay

Yet I was reassured that you knew me well

I never knew, when for you I opened my shell

When my dark times came, your written words were shoulders I cried upon

suddenly, I discovered newfound love for the screen of my phone

When you faced your crisis in life, somehow you remembered me

your trust in me, made me both nervous and ecstatic

That was the first time I heard your voice

that was the night I learnt how to break ice

That was the night you took a decision, which you follow to this day

that night I knew, my life had found its way

Time moved on, and screens grew larger

and words became more frequent and complete

And chats became group chats, as mutual friends grew

and I know they knew, they all knew

And one day, the inevitable happened

That too infront of a friend of yours

Till then, I knew not what you looked like

till then, I hadn’t need to care

I soon discovered, and you were beautiful

I saw a spark in your eyes, and I knew the reason was me

Falling leaves in autumn had started to make sense for the first time

And I wasn’t afraid anymore, I knew I’d found what I was looking for

What followed, was a re-discovery of you and I

what followed, was me caving out one night

Countless missed calls, pings and mails

tears over the phone, curses from common friends

Guilt, which continued to eat me alive

words, which still said you put trust by my side

I tried to make you hate me, failing miserably so

making you worse, I accept my fault

To this day, I blame myself for my loneliness

for I made an angel cry

To this day, I ask God for forgiveness

but I know it I might not find

The years went by, we came back in contact

The string was reattached, but the patch was seen

We went on again and off again

never settling, never still

I know I’d destroyed something beautiful

And we both would pay for my sin

Yet I knew, you moved on and lived your life

and you knew, I moved on and lived mine

and the years continued to go by, while our lives changed

While we found love again and lost again

while we lost loved ones to never regain

While we discovered what it’s like to lose one’s sense

while we knew, the only one who’d understand is you

You said it when you lost someone you love

I said it when someone I loved left me

you said it after every one of my yearly letters, which I still send

I said it in every one of them

Like two tracks, moving ahead together, in their own lives

Never to meet, but always know where the other is going

Not knowing, what the future might bring

But having a small assurance, that it would have you to fall upon

Seldom in life, you find someone with whom you may not talk for an eon

then suddenly come back as if it was yesterday

Seldom, you know someone will go beyond your words to understand your heart

seldom, you’ll have the opportunity to screw it like I did

I know not what the future has in store

I know, I cannot die without seeing you without a screen

I know, I shall hug you the first time I see you

I do not know, if you think this too

Something within me says you do

it also says I closed every door myself and I closed them well

I wonder, what would have happened had I been brave

would we still have been enjoying each other’s words

would we have met

would we have broken up over something else

would we have come to understand these sides of each other we do

would we be, the people we have come to become

But wonders don’t construct life, “would have’s” do not have meaning

Life, in a desert where some tracks are lost

others, become dunes

Ahead, is the night, which is dark

Something exists in it, but I know not what

perhaps it is you, I can’t help but wonder

perhaps not, I try not to let my thoughts wild wings

The sky looks dark, the stars are lost

yet, when I look up in the silence I can’t help but smile

because even in though we share the silence of the night

but the moon is still there

Vishal Gupta

 Written during 2008-13

Shanghai Sagas – Of Couchsurfing and Co-Working

‘There’s something special about this place. We all come from different parts of the world, but we are all bound by a common thread. That we are all outliers, we are alone. And in being alone, we find our community.’

As Tatia said these words, we agreed that there was indeed something very special about this city. In all of Asia, this was one city with the most number of expats. Yet, with so many Chinese living in the same place, the foreigners were a very small fraction.

While most people will find a problem with this model, Shanghai finds opportunity. Everyday, dozens of events are organized where fellow expats come together with an open mind, following one common culture – the culture of the world. Be it the Serbian girl with the green hair, or the American-Iranian who wears shorts to an MBA class, or the young Croatian who fell in love with a Chinese guy and married him; you can find them all in such events who’d respond when you say a “hi”. Who would tell you what drew them to Shanghai and what they are looking for in life.

Not many are looking to stay. But everyone who comes with an open mind learns. Whether what you want is opinions for a Global start-up, or learning a new language, or friends to play monopoly with, or simply a good brunch. Look around and you’ll find people organizing such events (a lot many times free of cost) just to meet new people. You’d find the US-born-Chinese who has problems adapting into the Chinese culture now, you’d find the Austrian girl who just wants to talk about a particular TED talk she found interesting, you’d find the British girl who seems shy at first, but can pin you down if you’re being sexist.

I cannot help but mention C3 Café here, one of such establishments which routinely organizes events for expats like me who don’t prefer going to a bar every other night. Every night of the week, there’s a start-up pitch, a comedy night, a TED event, a brunch day, a board-game night, and a lot many innovative events where you can just walk in and most likely will find a person who’s willing to strike a conversation with a stranger. Of course everyone doesn’t like everyone and of course there will be some racist bastard who’s just there for the free air conditioning and wi-fi. But for the most part, the place is as open as any can be. It’s good to know that there’re always people who think they are traveling through the journey of life and every new experience is just another part of the great journey. When I leave Shanghai, C3 Café would be one of the places which will bring a smile to my lips.

And this is not the only such place here. Given that China, and particularly Shanhgai is the world’s biggest urban market, hordes of people come in with new ideas everyday looking for investors. Every day, there are hordes of start-up meets where you can walk in and present your idea. Mostly, you won’t find someone willing to invest. But you will always find valuable feedback. And you’ll realize that the world isn’t as bright as you’d expect it to be.

Once in Shanghai, expect to find all kinds of cultures coming together. Expect that most of them don’t care about your personal beliefs. Expect that you all are looking for the same thing in life. Expect that no matter how strange you might be, you’ll find people who share the same interests. And expect to touch the world, like you’ve never touched before. 

Welcome to Shanghai!

The Seeker

                    THE
                    DEDICATION
                         OF THIS POEM
                    IS SPLIT
               SEVEN WAYS:
          TO VAIBHAV,
               TO CFMW,
                    TO J K ROWLING,
                         TO KRITI KUMAR,
                              TO AAKRITI,
                         TO SIDDHARTH MALL,
                    AND TO GLOBAL MBA,
               FOR THEY HAVE
                    GUIDED
                         ME
                              TO BE
                         THE
                    SEEKER

The Seeker

He watches the game from afar, high above

Watching; never interfering

He’s amused, by the constant chaos which goes around him

Bludgers, trying to hit him

Players, struggling to throw that one Quaffle into the opposing post

He watches, without participating

for his goals are not in the mayhem

Amused he may be, but he cannot watch for too long

he needs an overview, and so he keeps an eye out

on everything which goes around him

Silently; he is a good listener

Yet, not caring about any of it

He seeks something

something, which is a part of the game

something, bigger than it

He seeks the one small piece of gold

which can change the game around

No one helps him; no one keeps an eye out

being busy in their own endeavors

 

So all alone he watches. Waiting

For that one tiny spark of gold

which when he sees he lunges towards

desperate to reach it, before it fades from his eyes

Eager, before someone else scares it away

Trying to get to it as fast as he can

He watches, waits, seeks

He is the seeker

High above, in the clouds

Waiting for the magic to happen

He catches the snitch

And the game ends

Or, does it begin?

Shanghai Sagas – Of Studious Days and Global Ways

A lot of my friends back at home have pinged me up to ask, ‘Okay we understand that you’re doing an MBA and it is by XLRI. But what the hell are you doing in China!’ I think it’s time I’m in a position to answer those questions.

I’m in a Global MBA exchange program conducted jointly by XLRI Jamshedpur, India, Tongji University, China and Case Western Reserve University, USA. Each school has exactly an equal amount of contribution towards the course. That is, each school, including XLRI, chooses 20 students by its own format of selections and examinations.

XLRI did it via XAT or GMAT followed by essay submissions followed by a round of GDPIs to select the batch from India. Similarly, Case and Tongji picked their students in their own ways. So this prospective batch of 60 students, 20 from each country, goes around the world together spending a semester in each University, learning from their faculty in their own campuses. The 4^th and hence final semester is when the batch breaks up according to their home schools and the students spend the final semester at their home University. For me, this would be XLRI. This would be the time for placements, convocations, thesis presentations and winding up the course.

This is the first time XLRI is conducting this course. Infact, this is the first time a course like this is ever conducted in the world. There are study abroad programs, but creating a classroom from 3 different schools situated in 3 different countries and keeping them together for 3 semesters in 3 different environments makes this course one of its kind. And from what I hear as an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, this is the future of education. This is where education is headed. Putting that with some of the best schools in the country, and I think we have a winner.

But everything isn’t as clear for me as my words are here. Being the first batch of the course I faced and am still facing some expected and unexpected surprises. Like who would’ve thought that in my class there would be not only married students who are daring to leave their families behind for 2 semesters to pursue this program in a foreign location; but also a girl who’s daring to leave her beautiful newborn daughter in pursuit of this opportunity. Or that I’d have the opportunity to explore Shanghai with a 40-year old classmate who, I can say with certainty, is a hell lot cooler than I am. Or that Tongji and Case, being schools of international repute themselves will attract students not only from China and the US respectively, but from countries all over the world. Or that XLRI would be the only University who’d be able to fill its 20 seats. Or that I’d continue meeting new surprises and challenges throughout my stay in Shanghhai, and perhaps throughout this program.

So here I am. In a class of 49 students from 5 nationalities, being taught by Chinese professors everyday, living in a campus with over two thousand international students, in a city with 150,000 expats, I find new opportunities everyday. Every night (or morning depending on the number of assignments) when I wake up, I know I’ve learnt something. Be it absorbing a culture shock of Iranian cheek-kisses or understanding the Golden Circle model of Strategy, I know I’m getting an experience which few would be lucky to have.

Of course there the pros and cons of the decision we took of coming here and it’s not all rainbows and unicorns, but life is what you make of it. We’ve undoubtedly been given a great platform to showcase ourselves to the world. In the end, it will depend on us where we wish to take this story.