The Great Indian Railways And Typical Travelers With Heavy Luggage

Greenery abounds in Mumbai, Pune, and Nasik. Now that the monsoon season has lasted about two months, it's a terrific time to take some beautiful photos.

I had scheduled a dawn train to my hometown, which is about 900 km away. With the stunning surroundings in mind, I booked an AC 2nd sleeper on the lower side. So that there are fewer distractions for me to view and select Nayab clicks, beginning with Kasara ghat. The mid-morning mist and soft golden showers intrigued me.

Due to monsoon delays, I was able to board the train barely in time. I positioned myself directly before my berth, correctly predicting that my journey would be a goanna waste. I came into a family of three adults and two children, as well as a mound of luggage. The family began inspecting their berths, obstructing the path. While the husband and wife struggled with their luggage and seats, the other older lady approaching 60 years old selected a lower berth as instructed by her son.

They irritated me because there isn't a single lower berth. They started debating where to push the mountains of bags. My inner voice warned me not to be a part of the shambles. So, I chose a wait-and-see strategy and took a different seat, where I was able to observe their activity.

The family grabbed the lowest berth on my side first, along with their two personal handbags. The spouse then began to push the stuff beneath the primary lower sleepers. They took up the whole luggage space available in the cube, as well as my side lower space. Still trying to figure out where to store the two personal handbags that were left on my berth. Two youngsters and their mother made themselves comfy in my assigned berth.

Meanwhile, two rightful passengers boarded, and to the family's dismay, both had lower berths and two small luggage bags. They grumbled as they kept their belongings on the top berth, criticizing the family. The second individual was louder and gave them a reality check on railway rules. But the family simply ignored their advice and continued their own debate. On the contrary, the female passenger became assertive and demanded a seat switch. I, too, assumed the family had only two berths in this compartment, and one in the adjacent compartment. When the co-passenger ignored her, the female calmed down and now politely requested that her children sleep with their father. Her mother-in-law also has a cracked right hand.

The lower berth occupant reluctantly agreed to take the next compartment berth. Perhaps the traveler decided it would be better to go now for peace of mind and a good night's sleep.

Meanwhile, I contacted home and informed them that my vacation was ruined even before official boarding. Wife, too, laughed and said, "It's okay, all these distractions are part of everyday life." Watch a movie or go to sleep.

The family was relieved that the side lower berth was available for them to occupy. Then their food session began. However, this provided me with the opportunity to observe that the elderly lady was in good health, with no fractures or evident ligament injury, and was happily devouring on the delicacies. TTE arrived after the train had passed through Kalyan junction. I immediately jumped up and asked the family for their berth numbers, assisted by the TTE. First, they informed the TTE that one berth had been traded and provided information on the other two upper berths. Calmly, the TTE examined their luggage and inquired as to the identity of the individual with whom they had swapped.

They stayed deafeningly silent. TTE then stated that seat trading activity must be completed when the tickets are examined, since he requires identity proof. They were also advised that they would have to pay for the extra luggage they were carrying. But, seeing their two youngsters, he walked forward to check on other passengers.

I, too, felt sorry for them and offered them my lower berth, which they had already occupied. I didn't want to ruin their two children's enjoyment of observing the miniature waterfalls. I went towards the side upper berth quietly. My desire to photograph beautiful scenery was vanished. I was browsing the internet when I had the idea to write this story down and publish it in SM. That's all; I got a rough draught done in an hour.

By lunchtime, the family had completed the second round of suitcase reshuffling. This pushed my shoes into a distant corner. Because of their blunder, I had to bend and get my hands dirty to retrieve my shoes. The family was watching this with no remorse. Fortunately, this time I had Sanitizer spray and did the cleaning.

I disembarked at my destination after saying Namaste with folded hands.