A Whimsical Medley – Is my theme for the A to Z Challenge !! Hope you smile today 🙂
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She leisurely strode along the unkempt narrow pathway over the railway tracks, waiting for the train to arrive. According to the timetable it was supposed to leave in 5 minutes from platform 3, instead the track was occupied by Rajdhani Express. 10 minutes had passed since they were staring at the train hoping that it would move soon and probably clear the way for the next one. This wasn’t the first time JJ and her roommate were travelling to Delhi from Bhopal. But today was going to be a strange day.
Her roommate casually turned around and scanned the other platforms, reading the display boards one by one. Soon a high pitched shriek stopped many passerby on their track.
My sister too looked around to find the source of this terrifying noise only to find that it was her roommate, who was now jumping up and down, with a terrified expression pasted on her face.
“That’s our train … that’s our train … And it’s moving”
With that the two girls sprinted towards platform 2, down the stairs, pushing past scores of luggage and colliding into other passengers. The last few Bogie of the train were about to rush past the end of the platform when her roommate managed to grab one of the door handles and hailed herself in. It was a total DDLJ moment for JJ except there was no Shah Rukh Khan and she missed the train by a meter.
Without further panic she immediately bought a ticket to the next train but that meant she would have to travel in “General” compartment. Now those who travel in Indian trains, alone, with last minute ticket must have already cringed at the thought. Moreover, it was an overnight journey.
The compartment was jam packed with men of all ages. She stood by the door for long before someone offered her an old upturned Asian Paint box to sit on. For hours that was her makeshift seat when finally a seat was vacant and a man was courteous enough to let her sit. Few tried to start a conversation too, but when it lead to them asking for phone numbers, she pretended to sleep, tightly hugging her backpack.
And in fact, in all that chaos she managed to catch some sleep too. Next morning she got down at Delhi train station, just 20 minutes after her roommate.
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My jaw was already on the ground by the time she finished narrating the story.
With all the horrendous incidents happening in India here’s my foolishly brave sister, giving our parents mini heart attacks now and then. I don’t think Mom even knows 😛
Oh if that wasn’t enough she sent me a photo too... A sea of legs I call it. That red bag is hers, and that’s where she sat the whole night.
Probably working in BSL-3 laboratory with HPAIV H5N1 virus has messed up her perception of high risk elements.
*HPAIV – Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (Don’t ask me more, that’s all I know 😛 )
Along with Claire, Parul and Shalini we have formed an Unconventional Alliance with A to Z co-host Pam Margolis as the ring leader … all set to rock the party.
If you are bitten by the travel bug – check out my A to Z of Wanderlust Tales
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Sounds like a brave yet foolish undertaking! Glad your sister survived the trip without incident.
Rajlakshmi!! That's quite an experience that only train travel gives us. Once, I traveled on an non-booked but paid at CST for a Hyderabad train stopping at Mumbai to Pune with a huge bag stacked on me. It was suffocating and spend a good hour standing inside the toilet!! Yes!! I swear. Can you imagine?
Q is Quirky for me too!
And I love your sister already.
Once while traveling with my mom and younger brother, we had mistakenly boarded the wrong compartment and by the time the train reached the next station the tc had sold our berths to someone else. We slept on the floor, between the seats from Mathura to Mumbai, dad was furious when he heard our sad story.
OMG that is some experience! Your sis is amazing!
Tina from
The Sunny Side of Life
Twinkling Tina Cooks
Good heavensssss. Bless ur sis 🙂 I have done many foolhardy things when in my twenties and equally dangerous 😉 I should do a post on them sometime 😀
http://sunilavigauthor.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/quest-for-amrit-poem-in-english-and.html
Truly a weird experience there! I remember travelling by train overnight, and even though I was in the sleeper class, I was awake the whole night, scared for no apparent reason!