This Probably happened during the 80's--may be sometime in 1983.I was a TGT in KV CLRI Chennai then and was in cloud nine that year when I became entitled to FIRST CLASS journey,having reached the required basic pay to avail that facility(a great privilege at that time).It may look so silly to people today who may wonder what is so great about it.But only those who have ever longed for it,will understand. During the month of March,I got selected to attend a orientation course at KV Southern Command Pune in June that year.Normally no teacher likes to attend such programmes that eat into their vacation,but not me!I saw this as a God-sent opportunity to realise my dream of travelling by FIRST CLASS all the way from Chennai to PUNE! So, wasting no time in waiting for the school to give the required travelling advance, I rushed to the Central Station with my own money to book my ticket to Pune by FIRST CLASS.
After waiting for over two hours in the queue(there was no i-ticket or e-ticket facility those days),When my turn came I handed the amount to the person in the counter with trembling hands(excitement) .But when I got the ticket in my hands ,all my excitement evaporated in no time,as I found that I got only Waiting List No.1 ,though I had booked a full two months in advance!Hiding my disappointment I queried the reservation clerk as to what was my chance of getting my reservation confirmed,he laughed boisterously and said that there was a full 2 months and my waiting was only no. 1 and I shouldn't have any such improbable doubts.Unwillingly and without being fully convincinced I left the counter.
For the next three weeks It became my regular routine to visit the ticket counter every Monday to enquire if there was any improvement in the position,but call it my luck(or lack of it)that the position remained painfully the same!I also came to know that many of my friends of the other local KVs who had also to attend the same course at Pune had booked confirmed tickets by 2nd class(I wonder till today why none of them suggested to me to do the same ). But like a true optimist.I was waitng for a miracle to happen!
Just one day before the scheduled departure of the train--I remember It was Dadar Express--I made my routine enquiry and was as usual promptly pooh-poohed of my fears by counter clerk.
On the scheduled day of departure I was at the platform well in advance with my bag and baggage hoping for the miracle to happen but the position was stuck at number one!The trin was quite late to be shunted into the platform and there was harly 10 minutes for the departure when ,gathering all my politeness I approached the TTE of the first class compartment and informed in chaste English(hoping that it would help my cause) that mine was waiting listNo.One - and whether I could board the compartment."Poyya, unakku verey velai ille?",was the reply in pure unchaste Tamil!When the train started moving, I saw many people with waiting list number 153 or 205 etc(in 2nd class) were boarding the compartment without asking the TTE.All I could do was to stand petrified in the platform watching the train depart,with my other friends whe had booked by 2nd class, waving bye-bye to me unmindful of my plight.Truly, the world was a cruel place to kill the simple dream of a law-abiding citizen to enjoy a legitimate tavel by the entitled class.
I was truly not trained much in Crisis-management at that time!(Now I've become adept in Crisis management,having worked as KV Principal for over 6 years).So I stood rooted to my place ,with a lot of"asadu" flowing down my face!On recovering my coposure partially ,I looked around aimlessly.That was when I found another person next to me looking as crisis-ridden as me.On enquiry I learnt that he was Mr.NageswaraRao(I'm glad I can get his name right), another teacher from KVKalpakkam proceedinding to the same school in Pune to attend the same orientation course as mine!I thanked God for the small mercy that now I'm not alone in this crisis.Ironically the position of Mr.NageswaraRao was Waiting ListNo.2 !and he was detrained by the same TTE for not having a confirmed reservation in 1st class.
The rest of the story may not be very interesting,though I cannot leave it unfinished.Mr.Rao being an Andhra guy from Renigunta through which the next train(Bombay Janatha Express)would pass.So after cancelling our First class tickets and buying waiting list(2nd class)tickets -some123,124 etc,we trvelled by unreserved class till Renigunta by Janata Express,he bribed the "mana Vadu"TTE at Renigunta where so many lemon-merchants follow this technique and then we shifted to a sleeper compartment and some how reached Pune a full 24 hours after the programme started!
The obvious moral of the story is:Don't ever trust the bloody counter clerk or his speculations!Always trvel by confirmed accommodation--1st class,sleeper or AC .If by chance Mr.Rao happens to go through this he is welcome to contact me!
Twenty years on.
3 years ago
3 comments:
Gr8 blog. Very funny :-)...
Was the reservation system computerized then?
If not, I am pretty sure, it was not the guy-at-the-counter's fault, someone would have bribed those in the system to get a seat in Ist class.
I am not sure whether computerised reservation was in vogue at that time.But one thing is sure.First class compartments were very few,probably one in each train and all those who travel in "osi ticket"(ie.on duty)would have preferred to book in 1st class thereby causing the demand.During my subsequent travels by 1st class,2nd or 3rd AC I never faced such problems as I would book a confirmed accommodation by the lower class(to be on the safe side)even if I had an iota of doubt on my chances of getting confirmation.This is perhaps what you would call,"once bitten,twice shy!".
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