I guess when I got a ticket (not through tatkal) in Rajdhani from Hyderabad to Bangalore 2 months ago, I should have thought twice (with prior experiences in Kurla coming from North during this season). But I was so overwhelmed about getting a ticket without the tatkal charges, I did not give any second thought about the weather conditions and that was my mistake.
As usual, I got to Secunderabad station via MMTS and came to the platform 10 by 6 pm and my scheduled train arrival was 6.30 pm and I was wondering why there was no platform information displayed on the board. I was waiting till 6.30 pm and not hearing any announcement of the arrival, called up my bro to check the train timings and guess what...due to heavy fog, the train was delayed for 3 hours or more. Good god... 3 hours..Was wondering what to do for a few seconds and then next, I did what I am happy to be doing nowadays in such a situations, got to the A/C waiting room (you need to pay 20 Rs to be sitting there...is that legal? whatever..), took out my ipad and started on a novel (a Nora Roberts one named "Reflections"..which is a quickie for 3 hours) and was happily reading till 9.45 pm. Then an old person who was seated in the same waiting hall for Rajdhani suddenly announced that the platform has been changed and that it will be departing by 10.10 pm from 8th platform. What!!! I still have a 2/3 pages left..yet I had to pack it up and then rush over to 8th platform and guess what.. The train arrived at 10.10 pm and even though it was supposed to be there only for 15 mins, it seemed to stay for ever.
When I had traveled by Rajdhani from Bangalore to Hyderabad earlier, it was so neat and it started on time (because Bangalore is the starting point..) but now when I entered I was stuck by
a) how untidy and dirty it was (to the extent that people left diapers in the tables used for dinner as is.... Jeez.. what kind of attitude is that!!!!). I can understand that travelling long distances it is difficult to maintain cleanliness..but if you have kids it is common sense to have some covers to dispose these kind of garbage isnt.. The toilet was much cleaner than the berths. People had to call the assistants of the train and ask them to clean up the whole compartment.
b) how people who do not have confirmed tickets had occupied other's seats and were wondering where to go next and were hunting for other empty or yet to be occupied seats. I saw a family of 5 adults and 6 children who had occupied my place and were so reluctant to move out and I literally had to wait for them to find a place elsewhere, drop the kids and then come back for their belongings. It took them almost 40 mins to move out. Since there was too much happening around, I just couldn't yet go to my berth and start sleeping. And the train did not seem to start at all.
But one good thing that happened was before getting in, people did let the passengers getting out first, at least in my compartment. That doesn't usually happen. Its always a mad rush. Even in spite of that, one person who lost to the race of people getting down, found himself still in the train and took his own sweet time to get down there by causing trouble to people who were going about to occupy their seats.
Since I did not have any dinner (Lays doesn't count as dinner) I was eagerly waiting for the dinner to be served. And first time in my life, I had dinner @ 11.30 pm ..By that time the train was already in motion and I also completed my novel. After dinner and relaxing I realized that it was Christmas eve and I am on a train @ 12 and wide awake. Again a first !!! so I said a little prayer.. wished Jesus a very Happy Birthday and got ready to sleep.
Next thing I knew I was woken up by a snore. Not a light one.. a snore that literally vibrated the whole of the compartment. All the lights had been out by then (I guess it should have been 1 am or 1.30 am) and it was a "silent night and holy night" except for this snoring sound. I wasn't sure why it made me laugh. But I had to control my urge to laugh out loud. I don't know how the 1 year old kid who was sleeping in the lower berth (mine was side upper) with that sound.. Did it assume this sound to be part of the rhythm ? It could be because the snoring was coming in varying degrees of pitch. It went high and then a little low and then suddenly a big puff of air and then no sound for a few seconds and then it started all over again. I was so tempted to record it in my phone..but then I felt very ridiculous and silly to do something like that. I don't mind people snoring. I know a lot of people who snore..but this, this was the ultimate. I wondered how no one in the whole compartment complained or even commented. Guess everyone was so tired with the delays and stuff, that they went to sleep and were in deep slumber. And it was my luck to be in such close proximity to this person. And with the windows and doors closed, it was echoing too well. I was wondering how to sleep with that sound and then started by trying to concentrate on the rhythm of that sound that I actually fell asleep sometime after 2 or so. And to my surprise, that person did not snore in the early morning when I woke up @ 6.30 am.
Since the train would reach only by 11 am and I had already lost my sleep, I did the only thing I knew again. Starting reading another Nora Roberts novel named "A Will and a Way" so that I can complete it by 10.30 or 11 am. Thankfully a tea was offered by 7.30 am. Tea is a very important part of my morning ritual. And my novel got complete just in time to arrive in Bangalore.
Even though the delay was a little irritating (and I cannot blame anyone here.. it happens with the kind of weather) but if I had not had my ipad and story books in it, I would have been dead by boredom. Thank God for that.
But I would definitely think twice (or rather not think at all) of booking my train from Hyderabad to Bangalore through Rajdhani... I wouldn't mind going from Bangalore in that train..but not the other way round, just like the way I avoid Kurla if I had to go from Bangalore to Coimbatore (very inconsistent in timings and delays are very painful and tiring).
As usual, I got to Secunderabad station via MMTS and came to the platform 10 by 6 pm and my scheduled train arrival was 6.30 pm and I was wondering why there was no platform information displayed on the board. I was waiting till 6.30 pm and not hearing any announcement of the arrival, called up my bro to check the train timings and guess what...due to heavy fog, the train was delayed for 3 hours or more. Good god... 3 hours..Was wondering what to do for a few seconds and then next, I did what I am happy to be doing nowadays in such a situations, got to the A/C waiting room (you need to pay 20 Rs to be sitting there...is that legal? whatever..), took out my ipad and started on a novel (a Nora Roberts one named "Reflections"..which is a quickie for 3 hours) and was happily reading till 9.45 pm. Then an old person who was seated in the same waiting hall for Rajdhani suddenly announced that the platform has been changed and that it will be departing by 10.10 pm from 8th platform. What!!! I still have a 2/3 pages left..yet I had to pack it up and then rush over to 8th platform and guess what.. The train arrived at 10.10 pm and even though it was supposed to be there only for 15 mins, it seemed to stay for ever.
When I had traveled by Rajdhani from Bangalore to Hyderabad earlier, it was so neat and it started on time (because Bangalore is the starting point..) but now when I entered I was stuck by
a) how untidy and dirty it was (to the extent that people left diapers in the tables used for dinner as is.... Jeez.. what kind of attitude is that!!!!). I can understand that travelling long distances it is difficult to maintain cleanliness..but if you have kids it is common sense to have some covers to dispose these kind of garbage isnt.. The toilet was much cleaner than the berths. People had to call the assistants of the train and ask them to clean up the whole compartment.
b) how people who do not have confirmed tickets had occupied other's seats and were wondering where to go next and were hunting for other empty or yet to be occupied seats. I saw a family of 5 adults and 6 children who had occupied my place and were so reluctant to move out and I literally had to wait for them to find a place elsewhere, drop the kids and then come back for their belongings. It took them almost 40 mins to move out. Since there was too much happening around, I just couldn't yet go to my berth and start sleeping. And the train did not seem to start at all.
But one good thing that happened was before getting in, people did let the passengers getting out first, at least in my compartment. That doesn't usually happen. Its always a mad rush. Even in spite of that, one person who lost to the race of people getting down, found himself still in the train and took his own sweet time to get down there by causing trouble to people who were going about to occupy their seats.
Since I did not have any dinner (Lays doesn't count as dinner) I was eagerly waiting for the dinner to be served. And first time in my life, I had dinner @ 11.30 pm ..By that time the train was already in motion and I also completed my novel. After dinner and relaxing I realized that it was Christmas eve and I am on a train @ 12 and wide awake. Again a first !!! so I said a little prayer.. wished Jesus a very Happy Birthday and got ready to sleep.
Next thing I knew I was woken up by a snore. Not a light one.. a snore that literally vibrated the whole of the compartment. All the lights had been out by then (I guess it should have been 1 am or 1.30 am) and it was a "silent night and holy night" except for this snoring sound. I wasn't sure why it made me laugh. But I had to control my urge to laugh out loud. I don't know how the 1 year old kid who was sleeping in the lower berth (mine was side upper) with that sound.. Did it assume this sound to be part of the rhythm ? It could be because the snoring was coming in varying degrees of pitch. It went high and then a little low and then suddenly a big puff of air and then no sound for a few seconds and then it started all over again. I was so tempted to record it in my phone..but then I felt very ridiculous and silly to do something like that. I don't mind people snoring. I know a lot of people who snore..but this, this was the ultimate. I wondered how no one in the whole compartment complained or even commented. Guess everyone was so tired with the delays and stuff, that they went to sleep and were in deep slumber. And it was my luck to be in such close proximity to this person. And with the windows and doors closed, it was echoing too well. I was wondering how to sleep with that sound and then started by trying to concentrate on the rhythm of that sound that I actually fell asleep sometime after 2 or so. And to my surprise, that person did not snore in the early morning when I woke up @ 6.30 am.
Since the train would reach only by 11 am and I had already lost my sleep, I did the only thing I knew again. Starting reading another Nora Roberts novel named "A Will and a Way" so that I can complete it by 10.30 or 11 am. Thankfully a tea was offered by 7.30 am. Tea is a very important part of my morning ritual. And my novel got complete just in time to arrive in Bangalore.
Even though the delay was a little irritating (and I cannot blame anyone here.. it happens with the kind of weather) but if I had not had my ipad and story books in it, I would have been dead by boredom. Thank God for that.
But I would definitely think twice (or rather not think at all) of booking my train from Hyderabad to Bangalore through Rajdhani... I wouldn't mind going from Bangalore in that train..but not the other way round, just like the way I avoid Kurla if I had to go from Bangalore to Coimbatore (very inconsistent in timings and delays are very painful and tiring).
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