27 hours - Part I

After eight years, I embarked on a journey..... by train. What was so special about it? Well it was from Bombay to Madras and the journey was to be 27 hours long. Yes, 27 hours! Nothing bewildering about it -  I have done that before and so many Indians do this every other day. But when you are used to the 'comforts' of air travel - time, ambience, upkeep etc - a sudden change to the Indian railways is something. I wanted to go to Madras on an impulse and a couple of helpful colleagues booked this ticket on Tatkal (emergency last minute booking). This was necessitated after I found that my impulse came quite late -  same day Friday air tickets to Madras from Bombay were selling at 12k upwards. With second and third ac tickets sold out, only the common man's sleeper tickets were available.

The only motto being to head to Madras, I decided to take the plunge. The Indian railways is the greatest support for the budget Indian traveller.. I remember, when my son was born in October 2005, I had booked a wait listed ticket a day having not got it confirmed, got to the general compartment only to find it teeming with people. I just couldn't think of getting into it. I had then come to the airport, taken a red eye flight to Bangalore and then a morning train to Madras. I shudder to think as to how people travel by General compartments.

So here I was, in the train, which chugged out at 2 pm. The familiar sounds of vendors selling about anything from hot/soft drinks to food to knickknacks and trinkets trickled in every now and then.

 Food is a great leveller on trains. Everyone around you seems to be eating something all the time. It ends up in constant pricking of your gastronomic senses. So after a point of time, you give in to temptation and end up buying something - samosas, vadas, cutlets et al - which you wouldn't have otherwise bought.The trains and the travellers do generate livelihood across the rural and semi urban towns and a range of mobile water sellers, magazine and food vendors is common.

Many movies show really cute heroines suddenly popping out of nowhere when the train is about to start and plonking themselves next to the hero. Yes, I am no hero, but well, there was no luck... No heroines to give company either! A patient who was constantly coughing, an elderly couple engaged in loud chat, three little kids whose reactions ranged from bratty to sublime...

Back to reality.  The sleeper class often sees a steady stream of beggars of all kinds, women, kids, men, old folk and the sick ones. 'Sir'  'ma'  'bhaiya'  'saab'  'ayya'  'anna'  'babu'.... The epithets for the 'dolers out' are endless.

Beggars have area restrictions -  so you won't find a beggar travelling with you throughout your journey. They beg during the course of their earmarked areas in different trains. So if you are a constant traveller,  you know whom you will run into -  additionally, if you are a 'doler', then you would get advance blessings too, in anticipation... Ironically, everyone in India who begs, plays God!

Then there are cleaners who push trash from one side of the compartment to the other. After a point of time the same trash will be swept from the other side.

And yes, kids! They start from being 'cute' to downright bratty. The bratty ones are the ones whose parents would be thanked profusely if they got off at earlier stations. Gosh, how people bring up kids! My little boy is an angel in comparison!

 I never buy food on trains -  the ones they cook in the pantry cars. A chance visit to a pantry car during one of those journeys made me go off food for two days -  such was the cleanliness of that environment. Don't be taken in by the cries of 'Idli vada sambar!'  'Veg biryani, Veg pulav'  et al. Just try to peep into the pantry once. You will be sure to undertake that  health / religious fast next time you are on a train. Or, buy from outside..... these trains stop at so many stations, each MLA or MP having proved his point. In fact, I was surprised to see vendors from outside selling stuff on the train with the cries of 'Private chai' 'Station biryani'  - such is the infamy that the pantry cars and railway food have acquired. To think that at a point of time, the 'railway chutney' used to be famous!

 The May heat roasts you in the compartment. I was secretly hoping that the ticket examiner would come and tell me 'Sir you have got an upgrade as requested... You may move to....'. Well, dreams... If dreams be the flavour of life, then dream on! Last week, on a flight to Delhi, two flyers in the queue before me got executive class upgrades. Thinking that I was next, I expectantly presented my ticket only to see it MICR scanned and returned. I should have known. Some people just don't get freebies. Put me on top of the list!

There are some people on these trains who can just sleep throughout the day, night, any time. How do they do it? They are unfazed by the beggar, the vendor, the baby and the chatter around. Blessed. Truly blessed.

(To continue)