Howrah Mail

Well People, I am back.

It had been an eventful week with a lot of happenings. And more importantly the purpose of my official trip was accomplished and that leaves me happy and satisfied. As I sit here, on my desk, trying to recollect the happenings; I ask you to come along…

Arrival:

The ground under my feet shook as I opened my sleepy eyes on the night of 1st July. Howrah Mail was slowly pulling up on platform no: 4 in Chennai Central. The beam of yellow light from the head lamp razed through the night as the locomotive chugged towards my direction. I got up and swinging the bag on my shoulders walked towards AS1- A three tier A/C compartment.

Exam Results:

The trip being planned at the last minute, I had booked my tickets via the internet the same morning. Though I had got a confirmation that my berth had been booked, I was a bit apprehensive. Some silly questions like “What if I had booked on the wrong date? What if I had booked on the train that leaves from Howrah to Chennai instead of the other way around?!!” kept popping in my mind leaving me pretty anxious. Though the train had come to a halt I dint board it and instead waited for the list to be pasted on the compartment so that I could have the satisfaction of seeing my name printed against berth no: 4. Through the dim lighting I could make out the figure of a guy pasting the list on a compartment very far away. I waited for him to reach AS1.
It was during this wait that I felt exactly the same sensation that I would feel when the results of Bharathiyar University were pasted on our college notice board; especially when I was not sure if I would sail through the Mathematics paper. This association with the exam results made things worse for whenever I had not been sure of clearing the Mathematics paper it turned out that I flunked in it.

The Shock and the Up gradation:

I jostled for space as equally curious co-passengers clustered around the list. I ran my fore finger vertically on the list starting from the top. It stopped on berth no: 4 and continued moving horizontally. My eyes grew wide, heart rate increased drastically as I saw the words NITESH KUMAR M35 printed there. The whole world around me seemed to have come to a stand still as I stood there in a state of Shock. Had one of my silly doubts come true? Wiping the beads of sweat that had accumulated on my forehead I continued scanning the list and reached the bottom when I saw the last row.
It read

HARI PRASAD M23 OLD NO: AS1 BERTH NO: 4 3A NEW NO: AS1 BERTH NO: 8 2A

Perplexed, I walked up to the TTR standing nearby and explained the situation to him. He had a look at the printout of the ticket that I carried and checked it with his list. He cleared his throat and said “Well, under the new system introduced by our honorable Railway Minister Mr.Lalloji, you have been upgraded to Second A/C from the Third A/C”. My jaw dropped “But why?” I quizzed him. “It’s because as per the new system when berths are free in one class then some people who are in the next class get upgraded. Today you are the lucky one!”
I just couldn’t believe what I heard but nevertheless walked up to the second A/C coach and kept my bag on Berth No: 8 even as the guy who was supposed to sit there got ready to shift to the first class A/C Coupe!

Long Live Lalooji!!!

The Fat boy and the Grumpy old Man:

The Moment I settled in my upper berth, I looked around me. The opposite side lower berth was occupied by a fat guy who had a typical Bengali look. I had doubts if he would know English but my heart leapt with joy when I found that he was holding a book with the image of Shiv Kera printed on its blue cover. Obviously it was his famous book “YOU CAN WIN”. Delighted with my discovery I asked him “Are you from Calcutta?” He looked at me as if he had just been struck by a bolt of lighting. He blinked his eyes in rapid succession and finally asked “Kya??” This time around I was the one who had the struck-by- lightning look on my face. I looked at the book he was carrying in his hand; it was a Hindi version of “YOU CAN WIN”. Disheartened I looked at the berth that was just below mine. An old man lay there with the head resting on his right hand. He was poking his teeth with a tooth pick. I smiled at him and he immediately unleashed a flurry of sentences in Hindi. By smile quickly dried up and I fell back on my pillow and pulled up my blanket well over my head.

In my mind’s eye I could see myself wandering the streets of Calcutta with a lost look on my face and I felt sorry for poor me. The lights inside the compartment had been switched off and the A/C duct above my head poured out chill air. The muffled sound of the loud chugging and the sonorous horn were heard inside the enclosed compartment and before I knew, I was fast asleep.

Andra Rains (The Natural A/C):

The next day was the most pleasant day I have spent in a train till date. The train had crossed Tamil Nadu while we were all fast asleep the previous night and was speeding across the state of Andra Pradesh. It was drizzling. The whole day except for eating, I never entered the coach and instead stood near the door holding onto the railing as the chill zephyr cruised over by face and the little rain drops splattered on it. The lush greenery, the dark mountains with little fluffy cottons of clouds floating above in the drifting air and the huge bridges with steep drops beneath my feet were absolutely spellbinding.
With nature switching on its A/C the man made own inside the compartment palled in comparison. Had I known that this would be the climate I would be experiencing, I would have as well booked my ticket in a Sleeper class which was only 1/5 th of the A/C charge.

Meeting Sravan:

I had gone to my berth to have a cup of coffee and when I returned to my spot near the door, I found it occupied. A tall guy with a good physique and unkempt air stood there. I waited for him to vacate “my” spot but going by the expressions on his face he seemed to be enjoying the surroundings as much as I had and dint seem to have any intentions of leaving it. I slowly walked up to him and heard him talking to someone over phone. He was speaking in Telugu- my mother tongue.
As always it dint take much time on my part to establish a rapport with this guy. He was Sravan, an aspiring aeronautical engineer who was on his way to Bhuvaneshwar, to check out an engineering college that offered that course. I further learned that he was accompanied by his father who was a Major in Indian army.
Pretty soon, the exit door was guarded by both of us as we stood there in awe of the changing canvas that rushed past our eyes. It was only after dusk had set in did we leave to our berths.
By now the train had left Andra behind and was cutting through the landscapes of Orissa.

Sravan got down at Bhuvaneshwar at around 3.00 A.M

Howrah Station:

The next morning the train reached Howrah station at around 8.15 A.M. The moment I stepped out of the station into the open, the sight of the massive Howrah Bridge welcomed me. It was the structure that connected Howrah and Calcutta and running beneath it was River Hoogly. And when I say the structure was massive, I mean it was MASSIVE. Catching a pre-paid cab I was on my way to the guest house that awaited my arrival.

To be continued...