I didn't see any chickens on the train -- something which I've seen on Indian railways before and in some of the shared "taxis" (usually SUVs with sometimes scary drivers ) that are usually quite the deal too for travel connecting the state's one capital with the valley's second largest city.

If my return at the end of this month or in the first week of next occurs and allows me closer to a week there, then I plan to check out the Taj hotel there. [Time to look into a Taj hotel status match. ]

One of the runners for the OP-mentioned position -- before it got filled -- had a tragic death in the family a few weeks. An awful tragedy to have a child die before the parents -- something that would have made attending to work more challenging to say the least.