Night inside a Box

I got a message in the Whatsapp from a unknown no saying Hey! After changing the phone so many times I have lost all my contacts. But Whatsapp is a beautiful software where you can see the photograph of the other side man who is texting you. 

I saw the photograph of the guy who messaged me. I found out that I know this guy I have seen him somewhere. Oh yes!  he is that train guy who accompanied me in my return from Lucknow to Mumbai in the Pushpak express. How can I forget him. I replied him 

Chandan: Hi dude! Do you still remember me?

Saswat: Ya dude, that train journey was really gud  

Chandan: Specially sleeping inside that luggage box and that to shift wise

Saswat: Ya... That was awesome; the attendant locked us, ha ha

We talked a lot about our personal and professional life that day in the chatting. But that day reminded me another one of my travel stories which happened 2 years back in 2010 when I was a trainee engineer at Mahindra and Mahindra.

 

Lucknow!City of Nawabs. First time I went to the city I fell in love with the food of the city, the kebabs and the kulchas are simply the best. Nawabs must be very specific about their food so these Lucknawi people have inherited the eating style from them.  I preferred to stay at my friend’s house instead of a hotel. For Work I had to go to a place called Bangarmau, Unnao.  The some officers from the local office were going that direction in an Bolero so they agreed to drop me on the way there. On the way I discovered under Mayawati the UP is developing in a fast rate. Some of them were also useless expenses like the Dalit park. But I had to admire the development she was doing by beautifying the Gomti river, the rapidly under-construction new highways and flyovers outside Lucknow. 

Bangarmau; a small town which is at a equal distance from Lucknow and Kanpur

We moved out the city, the dusty roads and in an hour we are in to the calm road of the  villages. Unnao district! It is a small district in between Lucknow and Kanpur, more famous for its beautiful Lady congress MP Anu Tondon and her black money in the Swiss bank. When we entered the district, there were posters everywhere of her. It was like preparation of the election coming from 1 year before. We reached Bangarmau in some 3 hours. My colleagues dropped me at the dealership and went ahead. After the introduction, I planned my tomorrow’s work with the dealer. The dealer allotted me a mechanic who was to assist me for the tomorrow’s work. It was 6 O’clock and it was winter.  When I was coming out of the dealership I saw there it was complete dark outside. UP's power cut! The mechanic who was with me told me that "Sir yahan pe raat ko light nahi aata hai". I told him "To light ka istemal kaha hota hai, suraj ko roshni dene ke liye? ha ha" Not everyone was rich like the dealer to afford a generator so it was dark everywhere else. 

Now the task is to search for a place to sleep in that dark place. I knew that there is no hotel, but there are people who rent their houses for official travelers like me to stay for a night or two. We moved ahead in a Hero Honda bike to search for such houses. We asked at 2-3 houses but all were occupied. It was dark and no transportation to go back to Lucknow or Kanpur. So I became little skeptical about whether I would get a place to sleep or not. Finally I got one community marriage center who was renting his rooms because it was off season. But to my fate he also told me that No rooms! Only beds will be available. You have to sleep in the hall. Without any option I agreed. Keeping my luggage I went for the dinner. Hungry I am, ate delicious chicken curry and roti from a local Dhaba. when you are hungry any food in this world becomes tasty. I requested the mechanic that can you please come early tomorrow, I want to go the Ganges in the morning to have a holy dip in it before my work. I am not religious but become religious when I travel. He agreed. I went back to community center to pass the night there. To my luck I was not the only one who was sleeping the hall that day, some men and women were also with me in separate beds there. From their conversations I come to know that they are supposedly the Election commission ground level officials who make voter ids. They were spending their night there and discussion about their targets and plan for the tomorrow.

A candle light in the side of the bed, a jug of water to drink, Khartiya/charpai (rope bed), 2 blankets and a mosquito coil that was the amenities for the day the owner provided me that day. But I have to thank him that it was a nice feeling that day to sleep in a khartiya after a long time coming back from my village. No mattress in the world can give the comfort of a khartiya. The candle in the side of the bed slowly diffuses into the dark and my eyes were also closing. I lost in my dreams again.

The next morning I was ready by 7 O’clock to go the Ganges. The mechanic came to pick me up. I was so excited to take a bath in the holy river. On the way he was telling me the stories of the last year when the whole area was submerged with the Kosi river flood. I was also finding some areas left with water till then also. He was telling that this year crop will be very good because the river has left out a lot of silt in the lands and it is very fertile now. After half an hour of bike ride we reached the river Ganga. To my surprise I saw a dry river with sands all through it and wherever there was water also it was black and dirty. There was a film of oil floating over the water. My conscience did not allow me to take the holy dip. I returned back from the place with sorrows in my mind. I am not an environmentalist to fight to clean the Ganga, but it really makes me sad sometimes. I finished my work for the day and came back to Lucknow.

I had to return to Mumbai tomorrow. And after so much of train journey I knew that how difficult it is to get a confirmed the railway ticket to Mumbai. I approached some of the travel agents but they refused stating it is a festive season and it is not possible to get tickets now. I decided to buy one waiting ticket instead and go back to Mumbai. I bought the ticket in Pushpak superfast express in the 3^rd AC in compartment with waiting list no 250 which was never going to be confirmed. The reason for buying the ticket in that train was because it was going to take only 24 hours to reach Mumbai. So basically I have to adjust myself for one night only.

When you do not have a confirmed ticket you do not have to worry about any compartment to get in to. I got into some 3^rd AC boggy which I do not remember and saw a coach attendant at the gate staring at me. A beautiful girl was sitting at the attendant’s seat. I thought my journey will be full of moon light, as I have got a girl companion who is also waiting list passenger like me. Outside the door I saw her family were worried about her feeling that she was going alone without a seat. So decided to move a few step back otherwise her family would be worried more thinking that I am a rogue. I collided with a guy behind me. Bloody another despo like me, competition! The guy was good looking though but seems to be a nerd by his specs. 

Oh sorry

Hi, I am chandan!

Hi I am Saswat he said.

Going Mumbai?

No I m going to Manmad.

Oh good, so I got one companion.

The train left the Lucknow station. After some time the girl sitting at the attendance seat was gone and found one seat requesting to the TTC. I and Saswat were standing. With a lot of conversation regarding our career and interest I came to know that he was a medical student at some college near shirdi. It was evening again. With yesterday’s experience it was again the same situation again to find a place to sleep for the night. The attendant was bringing people to his sit to bargain the price of the seat. A lot of young people like me and Saswat were roaming around from start to end of the train to get a seat anywhere. Alas the train was totally full; there was no chance to get a seat. So we decided to stick to our place. By that time the attendant has sold that lower seat for 500 rupees to a elderly man who will be in his 40s. There was a compartment above that seat which was full of blankets and pillows during the day is now empty after distributing the them to the passengers and now the attendant was selling that place also for 400 rupees. Saswat and me discussed among ourselves that we should take at least this one, so that we can share some the seat to sleep for some hours during the night. So he agreed and we paid 200 each to get that seat and we sleep there shift wise.  

Face after standing sleepless

It is 1 O’clock in the night. I have come out of the box now and it is Saswat’s turn to sleep there now. I was standing and playing some music and munching some potato chips, the elder man was sleeping on the lower seat comfortably. Suddenly the attendant came running to us and hurriedly told, you all have to go inside that box and be there for some time until the TTC goes away.

You mean three of us? I told him.

But we are paid for the seat no!

Don’t be over smart he told me. If he comes he will fine you also, because you are not allowed in a AC compartment with a waiting ticket. So please go inside the box he told.

Cursing him finally we three of us finally adjusted somehow to get into that box and sit there. It was like a clumsy 6 X 3 ft punishment cell in the Tihar jail for three terrorist. The attendant locked us from outside and went away. We sat inside the box with our heads bend. Time was passing like time warp. 15 mins seemed to be 1 hour. It is 45 mins now still he is not opening the box and we all three are inside there.  After one hour he opened the door at 2 O’clock.

Now the TTC has also gone away. Now Saswat and me do not feel sleepy any more. We rather prefer to talk to each other rather than sleeping. We laughed and shared light moments till 4 O’clock in the morning.

That night I was a night to remember became another travel story for life.

Now after 2 years Saswat has already completed his studies and practicing medicine at Lucknow. Now a days I also do not travel much in trains. But for me train journeys are always worth remembering than the flight journeys. Conversation and making friends can be possible when you are travelling for a longer duration, slow travel. I love the train journeys more than the air travels.

Chandan