Travel hazards

'Sar, how to go to fort?'

I looked at him. 'Sorry, I am new to Tiruchi'.

I was in the huge Srirangam temple when another man came up. 'Sar, when do they close the Ambal Sannithi?' And before I had finished explaining that I did not have the faintest clue, another chap came up, 'ப்ரசாதம் எங்கே கெடைக்கும்? ' *

'சார் சென்னை போற train இந்த platform லதானே வரும்?' ** This when I was wondering which platform my train to Bangalore would arrive at.

' ఖగఘఙ చఝఞ టఠఢణ నబ యరల ?' ***

'Sorry, don't know Kannada'.

I had to repeat this to many as the train neared Bangalore, professing my ignorance of not only the answers these eager folks sought, but the language they spoke in too. My wife spent nearly a half hour listening to a woman, who just ignored her pleas of ignorance of Kannada, and proceeded to interrogate her in staccato bursts punctuated by short sessions of what appeared to be lamentations on my wife's unresponsiveness.

We are now approaching Andhra Pradesh, the land of the Telugus, a race renowned for their inborne curiosity and childlike inquisitiveness. Haigh... I foresee more of the same...

* Prasadam enge kidaikum ? (where can I get Prasadam?)

** Sar, Chennai pora train intha platformla thane varum ? (Sir, will the train to Chennai come to this platform ?)

*** This one is just gibberish la.