Life, as it goes.

At a distance I could a hear a train hoot and hoped it was ours.

It wasn't. The train that pulled itself, groaning like a tired monster came to a hesitant stop on the opposite platform. It was a goods train. R commented on how much revenue we might be loosing if these trains missed deadlines and production was stalled, but I guess like everyone else even the industries consider delay as a given and work around it.

As we watched the goods train hoot and restart, chugging away R said,

"I feel like jumping on one of these wagons and going away. I feel a desperate need to get off this station, I don't care where, I just want to get out from here."
"True, thats what I feel too." I agreed. Since our train was not coming even I felt like getting on anything that moved on tracks then and there.

Both of us fell silent again, just then the coolie or whatever he was who had met us earlier strolled onto the platform with another of his co-workers and parked himself behind us. They were chatting about various trains, from the snatches of conversations I heard, their job was to jump onto running trains as they entered the station and make space to sit for people who boarded later with their baggage. Once the person who hired them boarded, they would vacate the seat, take their money and jump off the train to wait for another one. They had very systematic pricing system with different prices for a seat, a sleeper, a day train and a night one.

Entreprising and not really illegal. No law in earth can bar all of the money-making tactics that people get into in India. As I was listening to them, R cursed,

"Shit, even this train is going to be late." There had been no announcement but the train was due by 4:00 and it was already 4:15.
"Say that if it does not come by 4:30, aadhe ghante ka delay, delay thodi na hota hai. Aadha ghanta, idhar ya udhar toh chalta hai na." I replied sarcastically.

We watched in despair at the clock's big needle making its way towards the huge 6 on the clock, there was still no sign of the train. Next to us the Rail aahaar shop was opening up. A newspaper vendor came and dumped a bundle of papers on the ground. For some people in the world, the day had started but we were the ones in the wierdest position because for us even night had not yet fallen.

R almost jumped with joy when the floodlight of an oncoming trains illuminated the tracks. We watched the silvery streaks till they were devoured by a red engine, the board on the train said, Ranakpur Express. It wasn't the one we were to take but at the next instant the automated voice boomed on teh microphone, our train was coming on the next platform, thankfully we didn't have to climb stairs to get there, we got up and waited on the other side. The coolie/ agent/ whatever came behind us,

"Kya, sleeper chahiye?" he said.
"Kitna bola tha?" R asked.
"Dedh sau. TT se baat karu? kuchh nahi toh zameen pe toh dila hi doonga." his confidence was admirable.
"Zameen pe!!!" I could not help but exclaim.
"Haan toh, abhi thodi na sleeper milegi, waise bhi train late hai, kya ... chahiye?" He asked again.
"Nahi, chalo lets go into general dabba." I told R and started walking ahead towards the end of the train.

It was still moving and when it stopped the door to the general dabba opened to reveal a rush of people getting off. We got in and I immediately stumbled over a figure squatting on the floor, another step and I stepped over someone's toes. An angry voice groaned from between the jumble of limbs. We could not go further, the entire floor was blocked by sleeping people, R didn't bother to be careful, he pushed and shoved himself inside, took the bags, flung them under the lower berth and with one jump got onto the berth above. He parked himself on the edge, resting his feet on the opposite berth. The man sleepign on that berth moved aside a bit and R was as comfortable as he could be.

I on the other hand could not figure out what to do. A man was lying on the lower berth, he got up seeing me standing and said,

"Aap baith jao. Koi problem nahi." he said.
"Thanks." I said.

A few people shuffled around and made place for me inspite of black looks of irritation on being woken up from the weak slumber that they had managed to get after long journey upright from Bhavnagar. My position was uncomfortable but at least I was sitting. The train started to move and I mumbled a small prayer of gratitude.

The next station would be Surat. I woke from uncomfortable naps periodically either because my neck would jerk back and a momentary pain would shoot through the upper back or someone lying on the floor would change positions hitting my leg. Every time I woke up, I would strive to stay awake but exhaustion would overtake and I would unconciously sink into slumber.

It was at Surat that a family got up, I flung a bag from under the berth and put it on the berth above me. R shifted from his position to that berth, though he was sharing it with another man, the space he got was enough to let him lie down. I still sat in my uncomfortable position. He needed to sleep for his court appearance more than I did. At Valsad some more people left, including the man sitting with R, with uncanny speed, I climbed up and woke R up.

"My turn to sleep." I said. R sat upright and I lay down on the planks.

Below, people were waking up, brushing teeth noisily and having chai-nashta, I realised with a start that we did not even had any water to drink. In all this mess we had forgotted to buy a bisleri from the station. Before I could tell R to get water, the train started.

It sped along much faster than before between the stretch from Valsad to Dahanu Road, just as sweet sleep was about to blanket me, raised voices yanked me away from her folds. The TC had found some students who got on the Super Fast with a passenger pass. They bickered about the fine. R was awake now.

"Try to sleep." He said, smiling. He seemed quite fresh. I lay back and the next I remember was a nudge and R's voice, "Borivali's coming."

Thankfully the train stops at Andheri so we got off, caught an auto, reached home, showered, had strong black coffee and went to our respective offices. Neither of us discussed the events of the previous night. It was just too painful. That night I reached home from office at 8:30 p.m., had milk and slept by 9:00 p.m. under warm blankets, only to get up at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.

The nightmarish night is still fresh in my mind but I thank my stars that it was in Baroda that this had happened because firstly it was just 6 hours from Mumbai and secondly it was home territory. A few good things did happen though from this entire episode,

1. R and I now know that we work well together even in stress and tension.
2. I have learnt my lesson, never trust the Railways inspite of the fresh coating it has got under LPY, its still the same, inefficient and untrustworthy.
3. Its true what Gandhiji said, "If you want to see the real India, travel by the general dabba."