We had a trip to Guruvayoor temple on 5th Nov 2011. This was a trip which was arranged with both of our families. In fact, something which was planned a month back. Radhika had to leave to home wotn a week before for an appointment with her dentist. I had my ticket confirmed on Patna express from Chennai central at 3.45 am on 5th Nov. I arranged a taxi for 2.00 am to take me to Chennai central railway station. Reaching station at 2.45 am, I was taken aback by the departure board displaying 12.00 pm as departure time for Patna Express. Train was delayed by 8 hrs! Many things came to my mind together with the much renowned lack of punctuality of Indian railways. I ran to the information center confirmed the obvious! Only option left out for me was to catch the Bokaro (aka Tata Alleppey) express which is scheduled to depart in another 45 min.
I didn't have a ticket for this train and found reasonably long queue (considering 3.30 am) for single counter opened in ticket counter of a major railway station. I managed to reach the counter at 4.03 am. When I asked for a sleeper ticket, Mr Counter Man said that sleeper tickets are sold in 1st floor. I didn't see any board in that site which conveys such an information (Put this way, for Mr Counter Man, the age old computer would be interested only in generating general class tickets Or, it might be that, he cannot guarantee a colored sleeper ticket because the color cartridge is out; what else!). Left with no option, I took the so called 'open ticket'; a word which I am hearing/experiencing for first time. Before taking the ticket, I checked with this guy, who was joking behind me until that moment, whether I could board Bokaro express with this ticket. To my surprise, he started acting very busy to get his ticket from the counter. I got the matter. He simply doesn't want to see a 'good thing' happening to a fellow human being. What else could I perceive out of this? (I recollect seeing this guy in the same train and was heading to Coimbatore. He never saw me.) People are un-predictable all the time. That was an experience indeed.
I had to get into sleeper class with open ticket. Getting into general compartment was equivalent to throwing yourself into death by suffocation due to lack of space and oxygen. I met couple of aged employees returning to Erode after work. Here I met a person who was working with Indian Railways for on contract basis for over 15 years!. He gave me good company and we inquired each other on work and life. Time passed and I had a decent nap of 3-4 hrs in train. My new friend woke me up when the train reached Shornur as he was getting down there.
All through till now, I missed to mention that, our 'working' union of kerala has called a 'hartal' in protest of petrol price hike from central government. Even though state government had cut on its taxes by 27 paise the previous day, hartal was something which would be celebrated without any change.
I reached Thrissur at 4.00 pm. Earlier in the noon, my wife called me and said that they were lucky to get a KSTRC transport bus heading to Guruvayoor as they managed to reach the Thissur railway station. I was in the hope of another such magic happening for myself. I stepped out of railway station's side exit and saw many auto rickshaws there. I approached one Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy and asked whether auto would go to transport bus stand. He said that it is transport hartal and no vehicles would run on road. When I told him that KSRTC buses are plying, this person said that KSRTC buses were stopped a while ago. It was in matter of seconds that Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy turned out to be a Mr.ReallyReallyBadGuy for me. Because, he was plainly lying and I knew that transport buses were plying with police protection. I often wondered why these gentlemen get dressed up in morning and stay put in such places to disrupt normal people's living. Why couldn't they just stay back at home and support the so called hartal; staying out of road?
The world, as it goes along, turns bad;
and gets tougher to live with...
Epilogue: I walked to main exit of railway station with my luggage and saw an auto rickshaw guy (void the khakhi uniform) whom god has sent to help me. He asked me the destination and five minutes later, we reached Thrissur KSRTC bus stand. There were police squads deployed for safe travel of real 'working' class. After 15 hrs of ordeal, I managed a comfortable seat for my journey to Guruvayoor on a bus charted to start at 5.00 pm.
I didn't have a ticket for this train and found reasonably long queue (considering 3.30 am) for single counter opened in ticket counter of a major railway station. I managed to reach the counter at 4.03 am. When I asked for a sleeper ticket, Mr Counter Man said that sleeper tickets are sold in 1st floor. I didn't see any board in that site which conveys such an information (Put this way, for Mr Counter Man, the age old computer would be interested only in generating general class tickets Or, it might be that, he cannot guarantee a colored sleeper ticket because the color cartridge is out; what else!). Left with no option, I took the so called 'open ticket'; a word which I am hearing/experiencing for first time. Before taking the ticket, I checked with this guy, who was joking behind me until that moment, whether I could board Bokaro express with this ticket. To my surprise, he started acting very busy to get his ticket from the counter. I got the matter. He simply doesn't want to see a 'good thing' happening to a fellow human being. What else could I perceive out of this? (I recollect seeing this guy in the same train and was heading to Coimbatore. He never saw me.) People are un-predictable all the time. That was an experience indeed.
I had to get into sleeper class with open ticket. Getting into general compartment was equivalent to throwing yourself into death by suffocation due to lack of space and oxygen. I met couple of aged employees returning to Erode after work. Here I met a person who was working with Indian Railways for on contract basis for over 15 years!. He gave me good company and we inquired each other on work and life. Time passed and I had a decent nap of 3-4 hrs in train. My new friend woke me up when the train reached Shornur as he was getting down there.
All through till now, I missed to mention that, our 'working' union of kerala has called a 'hartal' in protest of petrol price hike from central government. Even though state government had cut on its taxes by 27 paise the previous day, hartal was something which would be celebrated without any change.
I reached Thrissur at 4.00 pm. Earlier in the noon, my wife called me and said that they were lucky to get a KSTRC transport bus heading to Guruvayoor as they managed to reach the Thissur railway station. I was in the hope of another such magic happening for myself. I stepped out of railway station's side exit and saw many auto rickshaws there. I approached one Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy and asked whether auto would go to transport bus stand. He said that it is transport hartal and no vehicles would run on road. When I told him that KSRTC buses are plying, this person said that KSRTC buses were stopped a while ago. It was in matter of seconds that Mr.SeemToBeGoodGuy turned out to be a Mr.ReallyReallyBadGuy for me. Because, he was plainly lying and I knew that transport buses were plying with police protection. I often wondered why these gentlemen get dressed up in morning and stay put in such places to disrupt normal people's living. Why couldn't they just stay back at home and support the so called hartal; staying out of road?
The world, as it goes along, turns bad;
and gets tougher to live with...
Epilogue: I walked to main exit of railway station with my luggage and saw an auto rickshaw guy (void the khakhi uniform) whom god has sent to help me. He asked me the destination and five minutes later, we reached Thrissur KSRTC bus stand. There were police squads deployed for safe travel of real 'working' class. After 15 hrs of ordeal, I managed a comfortable seat for my journey to Guruvayoor on a bus charted to start at 5.00 pm.
