National Newspapers

Articles in the Press

(a) 1986 - 1990

Daily Telegraph (22/09/86): "The railway is a skeleton that holds India together... the efficiency with you are allocated a numbered berth on a specific train months after you booked it leaves you gasping in admiration... booking a meal to be delivered to you at a station miles ahead you soon look upon Indian Railways as a home from home.

THE WORLD STEAM (JAN 87): The railways "Reservations booked in London by SDEL worked very well."

THE TIMES (21/05/88): "It has to be said that buying a ticket and acquiring a berth for long distance journey involves time-consuming hassle. But, mercifully there is a short cut through the red tape, and, more to the point what I deem to be the greatest travel bargain there has ever been-the Indrail pass, an airline type voucher that is the open sesame to Indian rail travelling."

THE INDEPENDENT (02/07/88):TITLE: "A rail rover's guide to the galaxy.": INDIA: Indrail pass was given a "***" value rating classifying as a bargain when compared with the other railways in the world."Covers all sleeper supplements. Agent for Indian Railways who can arrange complete itineraries at no extra cost is S.D.Enterprises Ltd.".

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (25/02/89): "Indrail passes for rail travel throughout India are available here from Dr S Dandapani (081 903 3411) who will not only plan your itinerary and issue tickets on the spot, but will also advise on how long to allow in each city, the fastest train connections and journeys on which it is best to take a sleeper.

YORKSHIRE POST (16/01/90): "There is much to delight the traveller on the country's sprawling railway system, which is more efficient than it looks."

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (21/01/90): "If you have a limited amount of time and plan to travel on popular train routes to or from Delhi, buy an Indrail pass, which enables you to book overnight journeys in advance from London ... Indian Railways agent in Britain, Dr Swaminath Dandapani, will prebook (and give advice on) itineraries: 081 903 3411."

THE SUNDAY BUSINESS POST (28/01/90): "By far the best way to travel in India is by train and with 70,000 km of rail track and 7000 stations this is very easy to accomplish ... in the grey suburb of Wembley, North London you can buy an Indrail pass and reserve journeys along the length and breadth of India for as long as you like."

THE FINANCIAL TIMES (JULY 1990): "S.D.Enterprises which sells Indrail passes, are refreshingly efficient. Relish their speed, for there is little like it in the sub-continent. The enthusiastic Dr Dandapani who runs SD, will help you organise a rail itinerary. He can book trains by telex from London, bit allow a few weeks in the autumn/winter high season.

(b) 1991 - 1996

CANADIAN JOURNAL: THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY TRAVELLER (JUNE 1991 EDITION): "The Indrail pass offers many advantages for foreign travellers. Although it is less expensive to buy tickets individually, trying to make reservations purchasing tickets upon arrival in India is time-consuming often taking days... Travelling on an Indrail pass allows for reservations to be made up to a year ahead and identifies you as a VIP passenger with first priority in the event reservation must be changed en route. If you are going to use the Indrail pass, it only makes sense to buy it from the man who had a part in its creation Dr S Dandapani."

CANADIAN JOURNAL: THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY TRAVELLER (JULY1991 EDITION on PALACE ON WHEELS RAIL TRAVEL): "If I could invent an ideal train, it would be exotic, adventurous, comfortable and stylish. My dream train would traverse a landscape that was more rugged than pretty. It would call at cities where one could be amazed rather than amused... India's Palace-on-Wheels met all of these expectations... The Palace-on-Wheels presents a much richer - and to my taste a more satisfying - interpretation of luxury by being an authentic part of its fascinating surroundings...Each day aboard the Palace-on-Wheels brough its own delights. We usually arrived in a new city just after breakfast and set out for a day of exploration with local guides. We generally took a tour bus, with elephants, camels, and motorboats varying the travel mix. Lunch would be often awaiting us in a Maharajah's stationary palace - Dr S Dandapani, the dean of Indian rail tourism can mail Palace-on-Wheels tickets along with Indrail passes, worldwide"

THE LADY (18 TO 24 FEB 92): "And if you are in possession of that travel bargain of all time - the Indrail pass - the whole of India's vast rail network is yours, including a berth and priority treatment when making reservations... Indian Railways representative in the UK: Dr S Dandapani, SDEL. From whom can be purchased the Indrail pass."

EVENING STANDARD MAGAZINE (03 MAY 1996): "S.D.Enterprises Ltd - The best travel agency in the World."