The Kela Diaries

The Train Ride

The Kela Diaries :Part 1- Durg to Pune

Shit Happens..and when it does...no matter how hard we tend to forget ,one of your kamina dost will always remind you:"hey isko batana tere saath kya kela hua tha"...and so on and so forth. For benefit of those who still don't understand.. it means a situation when u are screwed..not literally ofcourse...not once or twice  but it will appear as if u were stuck in Shani's Sadhe Sati.. Here is one such classic kela story:

One of these days I was going through an old suitcase and like all old things I found something memorable lying inside.

I found an album..a collection of pictures that is...in hard copy..

Anyways..I was browsing through the album and I just stopped at one of my photo..there it was..a picture of me standing at the Durg Railway Station.And I was immediately reminded of that horror joy ride.

I was to go to Tokyo for a project in a few days and I came to see my family who were in Bhilai at that time..I didn't get reservation in Azad Hind Express which was like the only train from Durg to Pune at that time.So I decided to go to Gondia in a train and then from Gondia to Pune in another.

I was excited as I was going to travel from Gondia to Pune in Third AC which was at that time one of the top three things in my Dusvidaniya list apart from getting on a plane and someday riding my own bike at 120Ks.Those are done by the way and I have a new list now.

After being late for half an hour..The train finally arrived.I am not so good at good byes and usually I cry like a child so after all the emotional stuff ,I bid farewell to my family and boarded the Chattisgarh Express which is going to reach Gondia at 7:48 pm as it came half an hour late already.Remember my connecting train is at 8:20 pm.

Don't smile already..this is not the twist you assume..my train will reach Gondia on time..

As you might remember I was to go to Tokyo soon so I was carrying a big 55cm bag full of maggy noodles,pickle,laddoos,MTRs[ready to eat food packs] which every IT consultant carries along on an onsite trip along with a backpack with a spare set of clothes and Laptop.I had Rs 10000 cash in the bag as instructed by mom.She also locked the bag with a number lock.The one which does not require a key.You just need to remember the combination number.

So I dragged my 29 Kg bag  [Yes the weight limit in a plane is 22 kgs for Cathay pacific in wihich I was to fly but we haven't reached the airport yet...thats a different story]along with the backpack through my Sleeper class bogey and made way through an aweful lot of crowd, most of which were there to see off their relatives.

Finally I managed to find my seat and I noticed somebody was already seated there.It was a middle aged man probably in his 40s.His mouth was full of gutka it seems.He just shifted enough to let me get seated there.I shoved the bag down below the seat and occupied as much space as I could.Probably he was on a waiting list.

The train began to rumble and the crowd in the bogey subsided a bit.I immediately pushed the earphones of my apple IPOD schuffle in my ears...Babuji zara dhere chalo bijli giri yahan bijli giri...

what!!..i love that song..besides schuffle doesn't have any display

After a few stations..the person seated besides me offered me Rajnigandha.I removed the earphones and politely passed the offer.He asked me where I was going with this big bag.I told him I am going to Pune.He inquired further.I told him I am to catch the connecting train[Maharashtra Express] from Gondia at 08:20 pm.

He laughed and I could see his red teeths.I asked him what was the smile for.He told me that the train leaves at 10:55 am and not in the night.I was shocked.I didn't believe him.I took out the print out of my ticket from the bagpack and began checking the time of departure.