Reading the title, I bet all of you will wonder what new she is going to tell about the train journeys. Well actually nothing new just the latest experience of mine.
Past a few years all our journeys are night travels, or if they are day they are invariably in the AC compartment. Last week we travelled to Palakkad during the day train in the second class compartments after years.
We reached the station at 5.30 am and we find 50-60% of the people in masks protecting themselves from the spread of swine flu. Our train started at 6. And the best or the worst part was that, the 7 of us who were travelling had seats spread at two ends of the compartment.4 at one end and 3 at the other end. When we checked the chart, there were 3 of them boarding in Cantonment and we decided that we will ask them to exchange the seats so that we can sit together and we started chit chatting. We were already very hungry but were waiting for everyone to settle down. The train chugged into the Cant station. The 3 of them got it. We very politely asked them even before they put down their luggage if they could exchange the seats with ours for which there was a rude NO from them. My sister, my cousin and I were furious. And we stomped to the other end. Then my mom opened the boxes with soft yummy idlis, chutney, molagapodi(chutney powder). Mom dad, uncle aunt had their breakfast and then called. We came there and had our breakfast. It was so amazing. It was after so many years that we had taken packed food with us.
After breakfast while we 3 were walking back to our seats, a man approached and asked if we had 6 seats and if we could exchange it with him as his family wanted to be together. We mentioned to it that we had 4 seats and we could request another man so we can arrange for 5 seats. But we also warned him of the 3 rude people who didn’t oblige. He said his family would adjust in 5 seats. So we all shifted to the other seats where we got 8 seats instead of 7 as 2 people had not boarded the train. We were all thrilled and settled down after shifting our luggage. It was around 8 and I went to the upper berth and slept. When I opened my eyes it was 10.30. I looked down and what do I see. The 6 of them are munching away the savories and sweets we had got which was prepared the previous day for janmashtami. I was furious that they didn’t share it with me. So I immediately got down and had my share J Then Nandu(my sis) and I started reading our books listening to music and chatting. The view outside the train was beautiful. We were wondering what fun it was to sit on the window silo d the train as kids and also how small we could have been to fit there.
My cousin walked across the compartment and then came back excitedly and asked us to go and have a look near our old seats. Nandu and I went and saw that the man who had rudely said no was sitting so uncomfortably at the edge of the seat as the big family of 12 was occupying the seats and had comfortable seated themselves. We were so thrilled and told each other that he deserved this for being rude and not being co operative.
It was 1230 and we started feeling hungry again. Mom opened the yummy lemon rice, curd rice, chips, mango pickle, gongura pickle and vepalakatti. We all filled our paper plates with rice. It was fun balancing the plate and not spilling anything with the movement of the train. I finished the lunch and climbed back to the berth. The next thing I knew was we were approaching Palakkad and I had to get up. The train was late and we reached Palakkad only 3.00, while the expected time was 2.
It was really amazing to have packed food and fun like old times in a second class compartment. We really tend to miss this fun for the so called luxury of the packaged readymade food and comfort of AC compartment. Looking forward for another journey soon J
No comments:
Post a Comment