So I told you about my journey from Orissa to Calcutta ..........
story so far is pretty simple ..just boarding and deboarding a train ....checking in and out in a city hotel........readalong for next course of action.
I fortunately hopped on the Gangasagar express at Sealdah station complex at about 1500 hrs dated 24th of May 2009........
Straightaway found the 3-tier bogie and rested my arse on an empty berth....
looked here and there for pretty faces ....noticed a few teenagers as well as bulky aunties........so the journey began .....Bengali countryside is so green ...differnts sorts of trees lined along rivulets and ponds were creating a magnificent vista....airconditioners were never so cool as now due to my huffing and puffing from the running before boarding the train.........
money is a great leveller.....I do remember my Banarasi days when WT was the norm........ Not because I was unable to pay the General fare of Railways but the ticket money could be better utitlized in purchasing essential commodities....say friday movie tickets for example.......so playing cat and mouse game with black suited staff was an essential pastime.....anyway why the hell Railways should charge a student for travelling merely few hundred kilometres....during British period students never paid a single penny to railways....so why now ?
Coming back to leveller topic....here I was possesing an e-ticket issued from my beloved laptop duly printed by my own office printer in vibrant colours ....
Seemed like I was the owner of this particular train ....what an idea buddy....think you own a train ...it is far better than owning a bike or four-wheeleer....
just a little bit of interior designing will do ....I don't like the navy blue look of coaches ...all the same ..why not use pink in coaches ...
So the train was trudling along the two fixed tracks & black suited personnel thronged my cabin ....Tickets please.....English is cool....
I took out ticket and displayed it like my prized possesion...........
T.T.E. examined it .....re-examined it ....threw a sad look towards me....
I was peplexed ..why this buddy is not telling me about my actual berth no.......
T.T.E. gave my ticket to one of his colleague and threw a sadistic look towads me...
I was worried by now and asked politely about the status of my waitlisted ticket.....
You are travelling without ticket as we do not have your name in our list !
The feeling was horrifying the prospect of spending whole night sitting in some corner seat was a great dampener......how can it be ? I paid hot digital money from my salary account and this asshole is telling me about WT status.....
my inner demons woke up and I argued with four T.T.Es at once before being politely told that it is the rule of the game mate.Never invest in a waitlisted e-ticket ...they told me to consult my travel agent for refund.....but who the hell was thinking about money here...one of them advised me to use on-journey ticket system ...I agreed but then came the clause that I won't get an exclusive berth....only the permit to roam around in AC coach ...may be this copartment was some sort of tourist place ? I refused to take their bait. One of them took me to a corner and straightaway told to shell out 500 bucks and bingo he will provide me an exclusive berth. I instantly agreed but suddenly my officer-like ego woke up.....
why on the earth I should satiate this corrupt fellow working under the aegis of Cental govt..... my organization buddy....our paymaster are the same.....being a Class I officer I was senior in hierarchy............
I told him about my status ...though he was non-apologetic about money but he told me rules ......I came back to the senior most T.T.E and convinced him about my nature of immediate governmental work in Bihar.....
No more fuss he offered me his own berth.......
case settled......hit the sack immediately.........woke up next morning by cacophony of street side hawkers........
To be continued...
story so far is pretty simple ..just boarding and deboarding a train ....checking in and out in a city hotel........readalong for next course of action.
I fortunately hopped on the Gangasagar express at Sealdah station complex at about 1500 hrs dated 24th of May 2009........
Straightaway found the 3-tier bogie and rested my arse on an empty berth....
looked here and there for pretty faces ....noticed a few teenagers as well as bulky aunties........so the journey began .....Bengali countryside is so green ...differnts sorts of trees lined along rivulets and ponds were creating a magnificent vista....airconditioners were never so cool as now due to my huffing and puffing from the running before boarding the train.........
money is a great leveller.....I do remember my Banarasi days when WT was the norm........ Not because I was unable to pay the General fare of Railways but the ticket money could be better utitlized in purchasing essential commodities....say friday movie tickets for example.......so playing cat and mouse game with black suited staff was an essential pastime.....anyway why the hell Railways should charge a student for travelling merely few hundred kilometres....during British period students never paid a single penny to railways....so why now ?
Coming back to leveller topic....here I was possesing an e-ticket issued from my beloved laptop duly printed by my own office printer in vibrant colours ....
Seemed like I was the owner of this particular train ....what an idea buddy....think you own a train ...it is far better than owning a bike or four-wheeleer....
just a little bit of interior designing will do ....I don't like the navy blue look of coaches ...all the same ..why not use pink in coaches ...
So the train was trudling along the two fixed tracks & black suited personnel thronged my cabin ....Tickets please.....English is cool....
I took out ticket and displayed it like my prized possesion...........
T.T.E. examined it .....re-examined it ....threw a sad look towards me....
I was peplexed ..why this buddy is not telling me about my actual berth no.......
T.T.E. gave my ticket to one of his colleague and threw a sadistic look towads me...
I was worried by now and asked politely about the status of my waitlisted ticket.....
You are travelling without ticket as we do not have your name in our list !
The feeling was horrifying the prospect of spending whole night sitting in some corner seat was a great dampener......how can it be ? I paid hot digital money from my salary account and this asshole is telling me about WT status.....
my inner demons woke up and I argued with four T.T.Es at once before being politely told that it is the rule of the game mate.Never invest in a waitlisted e-ticket ...they told me to consult my travel agent for refund.....but who the hell was thinking about money here...one of them advised me to use on-journey ticket system ...I agreed but then came the clause that I won't get an exclusive berth....only the permit to roam around in AC coach ...may be this copartment was some sort of tourist place ? I refused to take their bait. One of them took me to a corner and straightaway told to shell out 500 bucks and bingo he will provide me an exclusive berth. I instantly agreed but suddenly my officer-like ego woke up.....
why on the earth I should satiate this corrupt fellow working under the aegis of Cental govt..... my organization buddy....our paymaster are the same.....being a Class I officer I was senior in hierarchy............
I told him about my status ...though he was non-apologetic about money but he told me rules ......I came back to the senior most T.T.E and convinced him about my nature of immediate governmental work in Bihar.....
No more fuss he offered me his own berth.......
case settled......hit the sack immediately.........woke up next morning by cacophony of street side hawkers........
To be continued...
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