Train journey

Sunday morning 10.30 a.m. I got permission from my branch head to take sick leave. 

I rushed to KR puram RS. No trains till 2 p.m.  Felt ashamed on my ignorance on matters. No computers to my aide.

Decided to wait.

Good breeze.. and in between bad smell also.

I saw above my seat, a crow has made its nest and a not so small but yet a kid crow began crawing and its mother crow put something in its mouth .  The child is happy.  The nest was in between wires .  But the nest was same either on a tree or anywhere.   Who teaches crows to build the same nest everywhere.  Once the use is over, it neglects the nest.  Then I related to house building of humans..  a craze for difference from neighbours.  (The baker model in Kerala insists of using only locally available resources and the design to last only for 20 -25 years so that the posterity can demolish when required easily.  Only human beings attach importance to sentiments to houses… I feel that as we give much importance to building houses, we spent more money and energy on it  we feel  sad to see old historical buildings being demolished..

The crow then tried to pull something from the tubes or holes. I thought it had  stored food there.  But I saw it was searching for worms..( who teaches the crow to look for these worms in such places).

Then  a man is walking with a machine to sweep the platforms.. ) a mixed scene of adopting technology and yet keep the poorly paid lady workers to swab the floors. This we can see in all industry.  We adopt technology and at the same time engage labour. 

The theory is use technology to reduce labour, improve productivity and reduce costs to compete.   But  the present model of engaging men and machine seems to good in present conditions.

Then the number of people in the platform swelled.(again felt ashamed to see how the world is aware and I am not.

As the crowd swelled, the seats became the most sought after. The broadcast says the train is delayed.

Among the crowd, I saw small girls, children and many with happy faces..I thought people who are not happy are not travelling..So traveling makes one feel happy. 

I also saw the economic gap… Poor children gazing at the richer children eating chocos and we can see from their faces, their fear to ask their parents for something like that….

I felt as if I took wrong decisions..

First I could have gone to Cantonment RS where they give current reservations or I could have gone to Koramangala or Madivala from where we could get private buses though it costs more. The advice at the counter was to go by Seshadri train and get down at Katpadi and get another train to Chennai. But after this train there is another train directly to Chennai called Brindavan express.  I was thinking of going by Brindavan express.  But I suddenly stopped and asked the peon of the seshadri express train which was about to start. He immediately asked me to get in and when the train started he asked me to ask the station master to adjust. I searched and could not find the TTE. He came with me and pointed out the TTE. As I said this, he looked into the list for a minute. Then he said the ticket charge is 650/- and you can pay anything.  I thought he is asking for the ticket amount and anything..So I gave him Rs.800/- (i.e.650/-+150}.  He laughed at me. I can see his mind..though you look old, you are new to this business.. He took 500/- and gave me back 300/-. I happily returned and took my luggage which was with the peon.   Then  at the next station, I took the luggage and ran to get into A2 which was at the front. I sat in the AC comfortably.  Then the peon came and took me out of the AC cabin.  He asked me to pay to TTE Rs.200/- or at the maximum 300/-.  I said he took 500/-  he too laughed at me  and said you are robbed.  He then asked for 100/- and I thought paying for this man is a punya . I thanked god for the comfortable journey to Katpadi.

Inside the cabin, a rich man with a big stomach playing games on his I pad, was telling another girl who was traveling in a tatkal ticket. Rs.1200/- to renigunda -  Why did you take tatkal..you could get an adjustment trip in Tirupati quota , it would cost much less.???

From Katpadi to Chennai, standing.. the price for not planning a trip…