I booked ticket for home on an irregular train not the usual Rajdhani, nevertheless Rajdhani which takes a longer route through Itarsi to Bombay. My usual train takes me straight to Panvel, a stone’s throw distance from home but there were no berths available on it. This train terminates at VT Station from where I can catch a home bound local without climbing stairs, therefore the preference. This train is not as clean as the other Rajdhani trains and passengers are on a flux, coming and going at odd times.
The train was not crowded, there was this trader kind of a middle-aged pugnacious fellow, a young lady with gorgeous mehndi done on her palms, looked very young but obviously married, kept talking on the phone mostly video calls and two self-absorbed young fellows on the aisle seats. This trader guy was also constantly on phone talking business, soon he slumped on the entire berth, leaving no space for others. He also parked a handbag on the small eating table in the middle of two lower berths, leaving no space to put your water bottle etc. Before, the train could commence journey another young girl arrived, she decided not to bother this rascal slumped on the entire lower berth, put her stuff on the top berth and promptly climbed and settled down there permanently. Having nothing to do, I pointed finger to the young lady by my side, “Very beautifully done.”
At first, she couldn’t understand, when I said the ‘mehndi’ she first took offence, thinking I am some kind of a molester, but later relented. Said, she had done it herself. Well, I complemented her on doing a fine job, when this trader guy also concurred with me, the lady relaxed. Soon, snacks arrived and I got opportunity to get at the trader fellow for which I was itching to engage (what riled me was his insensitivity to the young girl now stationed on upper berth). I said gruffly, would you put this handbag in some other place, showing my snack tray to him.
Man, briefly waited for a moment, but eventually, took away the handbag from the table, one small victory for me.
Then arrived the caterer supervisor asking, what kind of meal the passenger’s wanted. It is funny that when booking tickets, we mention our preference for meal, veg or non-veg, on website but they probably use that info for gross number of veg and non-veg meals. They always come to individual passenger to ask for their preference, so I said, ‘veg’. He asked, “Breakfast?”, I said, “Cutlets”.
He said dismissively, ‘Sir, only poha, upma or omelet.’
I remembered the last time also I was conned into taking ‘poha’, so I really exploded, ‘What do you mean, I always take cutlets, who are you to change the menu?’
The man cowed down, left immediately. This show of aggression from me created an aura of bully for me. Everyone began to talk to me respectfully including the pugnacious trader. Luckily this guy disembarked at Gwalior station only tow hours later at about 8:30 PM, before dinner was served. One pest gone another set arrived. At Gwalior a family of a young couple with too kids arrived, one toddler and the other infant, barely a year apart in age. The lady next to me was itching to get her seat down though, said, ‘Uncle when you want to sleep, tell me’. Meanwhile there was much ruckus on the other berth across, the toddler was one hell of an active character knocking things all the time crying and demanding stuff from hapless young mother. Her husband oblivious to all the commotion sat like Buddha at the other end of the berth. After a ate my dinner, I went to wash hands, when I returned the young companion on my side had already downed the center berth. I too made bed and went to sleep, time was 9:30 PM. But no peace the ruckus continued unabated for a while. Lights were switched off and slowly peace dawned.
These days the train attendants set the compartments at a lowest temperature setting because some jerk always comes to them complaining that AC isn’t cool enough. I find it very uncomfortable, probably most passengers are inconvenienced but they do not go out to complain. In the past, on a couple of occasions, I have sought out the attendant and forced him to lower the blower speed but now I carry a thick full sleeve T-Shirt which I put on over my regular T-Shirt. This compartment was also going cool full blast so I slept soundly until 4 AM, thereafter slept fitfully till morning tea arrived. The caterer guy saw me awake, promptly brought tea. I was still in bed at 7:45 simply because everybody else was also in bed, the caterer came to me and whispered, Sir, aap kahaan tak jayenge?
‘Bombay’
Sir aap ka breakfast zara late ho jayega, Nasik men cutlets milenge.
Now, I realized why this guy was asking me where I will get off. By then I too was mollified so said cheerfully,
‘Forget cutlets, omelets le aao.’
He went away happily.
At about 8:00 everyone was up, middle berths began to disappear and the obnoxious kid woke up, began raising hell. The young bride had her hands full tending to the 3-6 months old infant as well as the hyperactive toddler. Her husband, the stoic Buddha, earphone in year, remained rooted to his end of the berth oblivious to the ordeal being suffered by his wife. The young lady on sitting on my side with great mehndi in her palms, picked up the infant to the great relief of the young hapless wife. There was steel tumbler on the table between the berths half full with water, this kid knocked it down letting the water sill on the floor. I was getting restless with all this ruckus going around there, when the girl next to me said, ‘aap apna bag utha lo, giila ho raha hai.’
I realized that my shoulder bag was sitting right below the table where this kid had dropped the tumbler. I looked at him angrily with chilling stare without saying a word and picked up my bag, it was wet on base side. …..
At Nasik, this woman nudged her husband to get some milk for the kids. The Buddha, without saying a word, promptly got down to platform brought back two small bottles of scented milk. This made me thinking, this guy isn’t bad or indifferent or misogynic, he is just a creature of his environment, of the tradition and ethos of his society. In order to probe further I said, ‘Why don’t you take care of one the child, don’t you see how harassed your wife is?’
Before he could say anything, his wife jumped in his defense, ’wo bahut help karte hain’
Now who is at fault? Difficult to say. Life is complex, you can judge yourself only, nobody else.
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