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Things are as they are, not as they should be!

Live From The Train

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  1. Am on my way to Sariska. So, travelling from Jaipur to Alwar by Garib Nawaz Train. It’s a 2 hour journey. I am wondering, who comes up with such names for the trains. Then there is another one, Garib Rath… Do you know that this GARIB Rath has ONLY 3rd AC Coaches! So, why the name Garib Rath, because I am sure the “Garibs” as per the Government’s definition, still can’t afford to travel by this train!
  2. A couple with a 2 year old daughter are sitting opposite to me. The lady ‘checked’ the diaper of the kid and changed it as soon as they settled their luggage. In the meantime, the hubby came back with a tub of ice-cream. The lady hands him over the diaper and tells him to do “THOO THOO”. The husband, dutifully brings the diaper close to his mouth (EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKSSSSSS) and does THOO THOO and then out he goes to discard it!! Comes back, without washing his hands and the whole family is  now enjoying the ice cream!!
  3. A young mother, sitting next to me is travelling with a 6 month old daughter.  A Railway official passes by and recognizes her as daughter of Mr. X. She answers in affirmative and he is now sitting here and asking all the questions about her family, in-laws, husband, his job etc etc. Looks like that the families lost touch and were friends many years ago. Now all this is fine, but what I am finding a bit odd is that the lady is sharing so much with this ‘Uncle Ji’! I mean it’s not sharing of facts but plain gossip!!
  4. A teenage daughter and mother duo are occupying the side berths. They have drawn curtains and talking so animatedly. Good to see such camaraderie!
  5. A guy is sitting with a bit fat book (Competitive Exam Book), but has not studied a word. since the last half an hour. He is busy chatting with friends on his phone. There is a difference in his body language when he is talking to different set of friends… with lady friends (3 uptill now), he is smiling a lot, laughing a bit hesitatingly and looks all coy and shy! And is all typical boyish talk with ‘Abe yaar’ etc with boys!
  6. The third guy on our seat has no manners, he is getting up again and again from the seat… once he needed a water bottle, then he needed to take out his wallet, then he had to check his bag! And when he sits back, he sits with a big thud!!
  7. Somebody far away is very busy on the phone and has a ringtone of some bhajan. And he likes to pick up the call after the first ring, so, all I am getting to hear is some music and the word B or Bha and rarely Bhajo. Reminds me of the ringing phone of Gotya (Sachin Khedekar) in the movie Singham.
  8. The two year old daughter of the couple sitting opposite to me is very naughty. She wants to move around the compartment, she wants to sit on the upper berth, but the strict parents are not letting her to be the Dora the Explorer. Incidentally, she is wearing a T-shirt which has picture of Dora the Explorer.
  9. It’s lunch time and looks like people in the compartment have opened up their packed lunch boxes. The different smells aromas emanating from the different kinds of food are wafting in the air. I am not liking it though!
  10. The competitive exam guy is all curious to know what I am typing on my laptop since the beginning of the journey! Well, I am not telling him, even if he asks!! LOL 😀

31 Responses

  1. About #1, these fares on Garib Raths are normally lower than similar fares on equivalent trains. But they have 3 berths on the sides too.
    #2 is gross. Going by the others, looks like your journey will be interesting :). Have a good trip.

    http://rachnaparmar.com

    1. Yes, you are right, the fares are very low as compared to other trains… thus the name Garib!!?? 😐
      It was a short 2 hour journey and pretty eventful at that! :))

  2. Hahahaha! Typical scene while traveling in Indian Railways in anything below 2AC! You must have had a gala time noting down all these observations here live!

    Good for you that it’s just a 2-hour day journey. Had it been an overnight commute, you’d have had to write about the stink of socks too, when fellow male passengers took their shoes off for the night! 😉

    1. Very true… 3AC is like the general coach of earlier times… i dont know how the general coaches are now, though!
      Oh yes, an overnight journey and it would had been a 100 point post! 😀

  3. Your post makes me long to get on a train in India – its been ages since I did that 🙂 What a fun time you must behaving with all this going on around you 🙂

    #2 – Yuck! How can people do that!

    1. May you get loads of opportunities to travel by train… I believe you are re-locating, Right? India?? So, there you go…
      Argghhh… people can be very very weird and dirty!! 😐

    1. Hi Shobha, Thanks for tagging, will take it up soooon!
      Hoe you have settled by now… looking forward to loads of amazing captures from Brazil now!
      Cheers 🙂

  4. Even for the train names, they keep garib! Garib choice!
    eeks..2nd one is just making me wanna puke!
    Its so much fun to travel in train in India..and that’s where we can see such interesting characters!

  5. Excellent post Shilpa. I love these random feelings you get when you are in a crowded place. I get similar thoughts when I am in a coffee shop or watching a movie.

    1. Thanks Ava! Am glad we share these thoughts! :))
      Watching movie in a theater and observing people there?? Well, I havent done that… Look forward to your observations!! :))

    1. Doing a ‘Thoo thoo’ means… nazar na lag jaye! Doing a thoo thoo protects from the evil eye!! 😐
      Yes, you are right, Mr Yadav introduced these trains!!

  6. Ewwww at the ‘thoo thoo and on top of that the man has ice cream without washing his hands…yuck!

    Yoi have such an interesting way of putting across the most mundane of happenings, Shilpa! Enjoyed the read thoroughly!

  7. Really nice post. Brings alive my memory of travelling in trains.
    And interestingly even i wondered why on earth did they name a train as ‘garibrath’. What is the point in making the traveller ‘garib’.

  8. lol at Garibh trains.. wonder who named them that 🙂
    It’s been so long since I have been on a train.. train journey is always fun.. you get to meet so many different kinds of people..
    nice observations 🙂

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