(This article was originally published at Fiddling with data and code, and syndicated at StatsBlogs.)
I love Train Journeys. My first long train journey was a trip from Kottayam to Hyderabad. I went there for writing an Exam (SPMF). I was alone but not scared and even the pantry food felt very tasty !. ‘This trip was on my way to Kolkata. Then, two years, I studied in Kolkata. Around dozen of train journeys from kottayam to kolkatta and viceversa gave me a lot of experience.
While travelling, I used to look around the cabins and coaches. I saw people from different cultures, different languages, different profession, Army people, Nuns, Monks, IT peoples( Now they use flights), beggars, Hijadas,…,etc. I always prefer upper berth so that I can sleep any time. Sometimes, I got irritated when trains delay. This is most frequently happened in my Bangalore- Kottayam trip. So I rarely prefer train to go to Bangalore.
In my first few journeys, I was just a listener because I was not good in speaking Hindi. Sometimes I search passenger charts and sometimes I search for beautiful girlsl!. And in many occasions, I got beautiful girls came as my co-passengers. But I was very conservative at that time and I didn’t find a good girl. So I acted like Mammotty infront of these girls. In a few situations I have acted like Mohanlal.
There are many good experiences I had. Some bad experience also happened. Once I lost a new pair of sandals, Once I was compelled to give money to TT to get a seat( my ticket status was ’waiting list’), Once Pantry boy had absconded with 45 rupees, … etc. In a few occasions, I got some tough people in my compartment. I remember one incident.
It was a north-Indian family, a middle aged guy, his wife and two children. Beginning onwards he started ordering like a Captain. He might be an army person or a judge. He used commanding words (almost like rude) to pantry people and beggars. He talked roughly even to his wife and children.
The same style continued to me too. I was throwing a Polyethylene cover outside .. he ordered me. “Don’t throw like that.. It may go to other cabins.” I felt irritated. I though of teaching him Newton’s gravitation law so that he could understand the plastic thing won’t reach other coaches.
I didn’t have much luggage. But for him, There was lot of luggages. And I realized that he took only 3 tickets for 4 people (Fourth one was a kid of 8 years old).
Train passed two or three stations.A young guy came to our coach. He had to travel the next 150 km. He didn’t have reservation. There is a small place in the lower berth and he was trying to keep his luggage there.
“ You can’t keep those luggages here.. If you do so.. I have to call TT” The dirty sound came from the family man.
It was too much for me.. Then I closed the novel and came down from my upper berth.
“It is my place and he can keep his luggages here”
TThere was a small oral fight and finally he agreed what I said. And I have asked him to remove some of his luggages which he had kept in my place.
I saw a looser’s in his face. He removed his luggage and the guy sat there.
A small satisfaction. Later he was trying to be friendly with me. But I was more interested in reading the novel.
* * *
Do you think it is a going to be a big blog? So I am stopping here. The second part will publish soon and it will be more interesting than this.
Note: SPMF: Exam conducted for top 20 % of CSIR qualified people.
Mammooty: Malayalam film star, famous for handles serious roles ( based on year 1998)
Mohanlal: Malayam film star, famous for handling romantic roles ( based on year 1998)
Thanks: This blog was a wonderful Grammar/English exercise for me.Thanks a lot to my friend Mithun Roshan
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