Happy Republic Day 2017 | Memoirs with Indian Railways

Whoa..….it’s the birthday of my Republic again! Happy Birthday to the Indian Constitution and a very Happy Republic day to my fellow countrymen. Over so many years now, the one constant buddy I have mostly been celebrating this auspicious day with, is the INDIAN RAILWAYS. On this special occasion, lying back on my side upper birth in Bhopal express, I would like to take the opportunity to talk about and thank our very special Indian railways.

My views are personal but factual and based on my past 17 years of constant travel with Railways. Certain caveats exists like my stretch of travel is mostly North India and almost all trips are overnight journeys. But with all due honor and sense of pride, I can claim that Indian railways as an entity is very sweet, accommodating and human. It’s a real form of the spirit of Indian-ness. Railways as an entity is nothing but a union of its railway staff, station crowd, backend IT systems (reservations, cancellations), fellow passengers and of course the very important TC Uncle (nowadays I have started referring them as TC Sir after my entry into the league of 30s :D

I am a native of a small town Pipariya in MP and left my hometown in 2001 after my schooling. I did my graduation from Bhopal, internships at various locations and am currently based out of Delhi. Relatives mostly spread out across India, mostly in MP and hence most of my travel are Train travels to all these places.  Post 2001, almost every alternate Saturdays and Sundays (if not all), I interact with our trains. 26^th Jan becomes special, as being a public holiday and mostly collated with before/after leaves from office, I travel on vacation. ). 60% of my travel is in the stretch of Delhi-MP and 40% is rest of India. From 2001 to 2017, I would have on an average made a min of twice a month travel, back and forth makes it 4 times a month, totaling to around 48 annually and averaging to around 50*17 ~= 1000 visits min overall.

Where from my conclusion derives, and hence this piece of writing is that out of these 1000 minimum visits,  as far as I  remember, there was only one visit wherein I had to spend most of my overnight journey sitting (as did not have confirm ticket). Except for this, I never ever had any issue with respect to getting a good seat to spend my nights in trains irrespective of me having a ticket or not having one. Now when I look back and analyze, this is a large sample to speak so proudly of our railways in general and of our people in particular.

As all the great thought leaders have said, “Man is by nature good” we all have goodness in us. I can speak of this experience across all the class of passengers that avail train facilities. My experience span across travelling in pack to pack general compartments during my initial college days followed by Sleeper class compartments (during initial career stages) to now spanning across different AC class coaches.  My coverage of experience is situational as well: D While 20% of the times, I might have had confirmed tickets, there were situations where around 30-35%, I would have had RAC tickets. (You only get half seat on RAC ticket). This is followed by 30-35% of General tickets (getting difference sorted out while boarding reservation coaches) to 10-15% of having no tickets at all (WT as we colloquial call it:D). My tactics of getting my way out also is wide, from requests and humble pleadings to showcasing money for getting seats and worst cases intimidating and fighting with the TC UncleJ as well. However as they say “Gulliver in Liliput” meaning as  a person with eyes is equally useless in a society of blinds who work at night, so also all my tactics would serve me no purpose unless the people are accommodating and ready to heed to requests and tactics.

My journey with Railways reminds me of great gestures of humanness and goodness.  There was once the helper of the coach to telephone his friend at the next station to get ticket for me so that I could avoid a WT penalty. Then there was an incident wherein another helper on a different train telephoned my dad that I left my phone in train. When my father asked him, how he got his no, Kudos to his presence of mind, he said that the phone was still unlocked and last dialed no was “Papa” so he called on the number to inform. Not only this, he sent back the phone via the return route train and my father collected it at station.

Almost during all of my RACs travels, the TC would invariably give me seats if within his capacity. If the train is too packed, mostly during festival times, guys sharing my RAC seat will let me own the complete seat to lie down; they being seated for whole night. Gals sharing RAC seats will share amicably the seat so that the two of us can sleep cross legs. Instances also cover a gentleman giving his seat to my parents when we did not have a confirmed ticket saying that my parents being senior citizens need the seat more.  During peak winters when I was once travelling sleeper class and did not have a confirmed seat, a couple who were travelling in the same compartment offered to lend me one seat and they shared the other between two of them. Today also, I had the RAC ticket and the TC politely offered me another vacant seat.

All these acts of gestures consistently over so many years make me proudly say that we Indians are really accommodating. Some may critic me by saying that this happens because I am a lady (so positive discrimination) but even if that’s the case, that’s even more respectable because our people respect our women. What more do we need if ordinary people with whom I have no interaction and would hardly even meet them again in my life as fellow passengers, come forward, offer help and all with no expectations. I feel myself fortunate to be a part of our society, our people, who come forward, offer help and leave you with a feeling of contentment.

I do acknowledge all the tragedies that have happened with Railways, people have lost their near and dear ones, heard of so many misbehavior happened with women in trains and I condemns all these acts. But inspite of problems and gaps, there are lot of good things and good memories that we can cherish with Railways. Indian railways, the life and breadth of the nation, have been doing years and years of service to the nation and its people. It has always given me a cozy and a homely feeling, I never enjoy my air travels as much as I do my train travels.

People who know me closely know that I refer to Indian railways as my “Sasuraal”. Reason being, I know that if I have to travel, no matter whether I have reservation or I don’t have, I will travel as Railways would always accommodate me just like the matrimonial family accommodates its daughter-in-law. Whether the daughter in law is tall, short, obese, slim, fair, dark, once married, the maternal family owns her, so also whether I have a ticket or I don’t have, I know my trains will happily accommodate me and take me safely to my destinations.( This is a simile and not be actuated with current family break-ups.)

On this Republic day, a salute to my nation and my People for having enliven the sense of Love, Humanity and Belonging. Long live the Republic, Long live the Railways and Long live my People. Jai Hind