Wednesday, December 8, 2010

A 'not' so Peaceful Journey

I recently had an opportunity to travel in train after 1000+ days (w.r.t. my last Train journey)
1. Coz there was no option of flight
2. I had to make it to the destination at a pre-defined time.


Managed to get tickets at the last moment, booked tatkal and after changing multiple local trains in Mumbai and convincing the reluctant Cab driver to drop me at the Boarding station and making to the station on time (somehow), I got into the train; where accompanying me where some 40+ aged people whose topic of discussion was big, fat, feral “Rats”. (WOW right…!!)


They enlightened each other and consequently me, about the size of rats in different cities in India and what all harm do they do, where, how, when…and then the worse part, (as they said), was that Rats ate some new born babies in some corner of the country! D-uh..! Till the time I was hunting for my iPod in my purse, the KT (Knowledge Transfer) went on and now “Cats” had mewed their way into the discussion, in some comparison with the “Rats”. May be the uncles had to present a Thesis on “Rats”, and so the healthy “Group- Discussion”.


Thankfully, they got down after a few stations. Later during the night, when I tried sleeping, (emphasis on the word “tried”), I heard a very musical lullaby, sung by various people (Thank you all :-) ), from various corners of the train, in their sleep, snoring as they call it, melodious…but sadly, not my taste of music.


Consequently, I was wide awake and suddenly one of the singers got up (in my compartment) and saw that I was awake, suggested me to sleep as half the journey was still pending and now the only question on my mind was How..!!


This was just one side of my trip, while coming back, it was ‘Ambedkar Jayanti’ and on this day, govt. gives free train tickets to certain tribes and so the train was over-overrr loaded. But again, thankfully as I was in the AC coach, there was tight security and only the confirmed-ticket passengers. Phew ..!!


All I was wishing in my round trip was nothing but an airport..!!


I am not asking for a lot but just some good sleep and also for more Airports to be planned in the country. :-)


Amen!

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